McCarthy Center for Public Policy

Professor Matt Lindstrom featured in St. Cloud Times

2016-08-09T13:48:00.002-05:00

Candidates reach out to Somali voters

Kirsti Marohn, kmarohn@stcloudtimes.com 6:06 a.m. CDT August 2, 2016

(Photo: Times file photo)

On a sunny July day, as a crowd gathered at St. Cloud’s Lake George to celebrate Somali Independence Day, political candidates seized the microphone one after the other.

It’s a sign of the growing strength of Somali-Americans as a voting bloc that both political parties are taking seriously. Both the Republican and DFL state parties are reaching out to East African voters in an effort to connect with them on issues and earn their support.

As Somalis become more established in the St. Cloud community nearly two decades after the first refugees settled here, they’re also growing more politically involved and active.

“I do get the feeling at least talking to the members of the Somali community that they’re aware that they’re becoming more influential, and they want to participate in the public culture more than they have in the past,” said Aric Putnam, DFL candidate for the Minnesota House in District 14A.

It’s not just candidates targeting potential Somali voters. Somali community groups have organized forums and events and are inviting candidates to speak.

“They’ve become a significant voting bloc now here in the St. Cloud area,” said Zach Dorholt, DFL candidate for the Minnesota House in District 14B. “There are a lot of really talented young and organized folks in that community who have made it a point to reach out to us and to engage candidates.”

The Democratic Party traditionally has had more success in attracting minority and immigrant voters. But Republicans say they think the Somali people could find a lot to like in their party’s platform, including social values and protections for small business owners.

“They tend to be very conservative in terms of the way they live,” said Keith Downey, chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party. “They’re trying to make it. They’re trying to realize the American dream.”

However, winning over Somalis, who are mostly Muslims, could be challenging for local Republican candidates in the shadow of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, whose rhetoric has been seen by many as anti-Muslim.

“It has fired them up,” Dorholt said. “Trump’s comments specifically have caused people to get more involved.”

The growing political importance of Somalis isn’t surprising, said Matt Lindstrom, political science professor at the College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University. With an estimated 40,000 Somalis living in Minnesota, “frankly, it’s just a matter of math,” Lindstrom said.

A growing number of Somalis have either become naturalized citizens or are second-generation children of immigrants and were born U.S. citizens, giving them voting rights. But just how many are registering to vote and exercising that right is unclear.

Historically, Somalis are following the typical pattern of an immigrant group that at first is concerned mainly with survival, not politics.

“If you’re worried about putting a roof over your head or how to feed your children, you’re not concerned about super delegates or primary voting,” Lindstrom said. “That’s just not important. Immediate needs are definitely more important.”

Refugees from Somalia were fleeing a country torn apart by violence and civil war, so many are likely skeptical and even afraid of the voting process that in some parts of the world remains dangerous.

But two decades after the first Somali refugees settled in Minnesota, there are now a growing number of Somalis who are more assimilated into the democratic process, Lindstrom said. There are Somali-American candidates running for St. Cloud City Council and the Minnesota House in Twin Cities legislative districts, including the first GOP-endorsed Somali candidate in House District 60B.

Omar Podi works as a part-time political organizer for the DFL Party on outreach to St. Cloud-area Somali voters. He explains how to register to vote, how to fill out the ballot and the different views of the candidates.

Although he's a Democrat, Podi tells Somali voters that it's important to vote no matter what party they support, for the future of the country and the Somali community.

"That's why we have to be engaged," he said.

St. Cloud-area candidates say they see Somali voters just like any others — diverse, with a wide range of views on issues.

“If you talk to white voters, they’ve got lots of different opinions about lots of different things, and I guess so do Somali voters,” said Rep. Jim Knoblach, a St. Cloud Republican.

Knoblach spoke at the Somali Independence Day celebration and touted legislation he sponsored last session that helped Somali families. But he said he doesn’t treat his Somali constituents any differently than others.

“I meet with them and listen to their concerns, just like I meet with other groups and other people," Knoblach said. "I think it’s just part of being a legislator — you need to reach out to your constituents and do your best to listen to them.”

Despite the tendency of minority groups to vote Democrat, Knoblach said he thinks many Somalis lean more GOP. Two years ago, Knoblach said he reached out to some Somalis expecting to hear about issues such as jobs and education. Instead, all they wanted to talk about was same-sex marriage.

“I don’t think a person can stereotype them any more than you can stereotype white voters," he said. "But I think that many of them find more conservative values attractive.”

Many first-generation Somali immigrants, especially older men, have conservative views on social issues such as abortion, gay rights and women’s rights, Lindstrom said. However, “that doesn’t mean that they vote Republican,” he said.

In some ways, Republicans have missed the boat on recruiting Somali voters based on social issues, Lindstrom said.

“I do see firsthand the Democrats playing a very active role in recruiting Somali-Americans to their campaigns,” he said. “And Republicans have been kind of late in the game on this.”

A complicating factor in this election is that boilerplate social issues such as abortion have largely taken a backseat with Trump’s candidacy. Still, some Republicans also see potential for connecting with the Somali community on pocketbook issues.

Many Somalis are entrepreneurs and small business owners who struggle with paying taxes and keeping up with licensing and regulations, Knoblach said.

“If you talk to them, they have the same concerns about high taxes and regulations and stuff as if you talk to a white, Republican small business owner,” he said.

Since the 2012 election, the state Republican Party has been making an effort to connect with groups with whom it hasn’t traditionally done well, such as minorities, women and young people, Downey said. That included moving the party offices from St. Paul to a Minneapolis neighborhood with one of the highest concentrations of Somali residents in the state.

“I think most new Americans, Somalis included … want the same things that everybody does for their family and for themselves — better opportunity in life,” Downey said. “That’s why they came here.”

Somalis are starting small businesses, struggling with taxes and regulations and living in areas with failing schools, Downey said.

“You talk to them and you realize those are kind of fundamental Republican issues,” he said.

Still, anti-Muslim statements from national candidates like Trump are likely to alienate many Somalis and make it more difficult for local Republicans hoping to gain Somali votes, even if they don’t share the same views as Trump.

Rep. Tama Theis, a St. Cloud Republican in House District 14A, said she can't control what national candidates say, so she tries to focus on local issues.

"He’s going to do on a national level what he’s going to do," Theis said. "But I’m here in St. Cloud, in this state, and that’s where my concerns have to be."

Follow Kirsti Marohn on Twitter, Facebook or contact her by phone at 320-255-8746.

Reopening economic ties between the U.S. and Cuba will benefit both countries

2015-01-06T12:34:00.000-06:00

President Obama’s announcement that the United States and Cuba will resume full diplomatic relations came as a surprise, but it isn’t surprising that the United States and Cuba are rebuilding their economic relations.
Cuba was an important American trading partner before the U.S. trade embargo began in 1960. For instance, exports from the United States to Cuba were about 13 percent of total exports to Latin America in the late 1950s, with the dollar amount of exports from the U.S. to Cuba were equal to American exports to France over the same period. Imports from Cuba to the U.S. were of a similar magnitude.

Limited incomes

With renewed trade, American businesses will gain access to a new market for their goods, but the demand for those products is limited by Cuban incomes. The figure below shows Cuba’s income per capita from two perspectives: in real (inflation-adjusted) dollars and relative to U.S. GDP per capita.

Cuban GDP per capita, 1947–2008

Cuban GDP dropped precipitously after the fall of the Soviet Union and only recovered its 1988 level in 2005.

Cuban income per person grew steadily from the mid-1960s until the collapse of the Soviet Union. From 1988 to 1993, Cuba’s income per capita fell by almost 40 percent and did not reach its 1988 level until 2005. All of this meant that Cuba fell further behind the United States in terms of GDP per capita, falling from 22 percent of the US level in 1947 to 12 percent in 2008.

Bright prospects for exports

The prospects for Cuban exports to the U.S. are brighter. First, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba refocused its economy to encourage tourism. With reduced restrictions on travel, more Americans will head to Cuba to relax with a nice cigar and a bit of rum and they will be able to bring back more of what they sample.

Commodity exports to the U.S. are another potential source of growth for the Cuban economy. Cuba’s sugar is famous around the world, but will likely face a tough time in the United States because we give our sugar producers a defensive barrier through quotas on sugar imports. You can bet that Red River Valley sugar beet farmers will not allow these barriers to fall without a fight.
In addition to sugar, Cuba also exports nickel, a mineral that is used in many industrial processes such as the creation of stainless steel. The U.S. imports around 43% of our nickel from the rest of the world and Cuba could benefit by entering the U.S. market.
Another policy change that President Obama unveiled in his speech was that he was planning to loosen limits on remittances, i.e. money that people living in America can send to friends or family living in Cuba. This will benefit Cubans by increasing the flow of dollars from the U.S. to Cuba.
One of the most important policy initiatives was that the United States is going to begin helping Cuba to develop better internet infrastructure. This is a big change that indicates Cuba is willing to work with U.S. companies and investors, something it was not willing to do during the Cold War and not able to do with the embargo in place.

Unanswered questions from 1959

Thinking about U.S. investments in Cuba is where things start to get a little bit messier. When Fidel Castro came to power in 1959, there was over $1.8 billion worth of U.S. capital in Cuba and all of those assets were nationalized by the Cuban government. This remains a touchy issue because the existing law that enforces the U.S.-Cuban embargo, the Helms-Burton Act of 1996, specifically states that the ownership of all $1.8 billion of U.S. investment that was confiscated after the Cuban Revolution has to be addressed before the embargo can be fully lifted.
President Obama outlined in his speech that he would engage Congress to change the law, but the incoming Congress looks to be very hostile. So it is not without some pressure from home that President Obama has decided to pursue this.
So what will this look like in the long run? Well, don’t buy your plane ticket just yet — there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done for Cuba and the U.S. to have a normal economic relationship. However, with around 2 million Cubans and Cuban descendants living in the United States and serious reforms in Cuba over the last few decades, this looks to be the first of many steps to recovery.
President Obama said something during his speech that would stand out to anyone from Latin America, “Todos somos Americanos,” “We are all Americans.” This, in a sense, is the most convincing piece of evidence that there has been a serious change in attitude towards Cuba, and that we’ll see some serious changes to U.S.-Cuban economic policy. So go ahead, open up a bottle of rum to celebrate — it’s the beginning of a new chapter with Cuba.

Michael S. Hartz is a senior at St. John’s University and a student coordinator at the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement.

Joe Farry Professor Louis Johnston on the Legacy of John Brandl

2014-12-05T14:53:00.002-06:00

Is there hope for cutting through gridlock? John Brandl shows us a way

By Louis D. Johnston | 11/07/14 MinnPost

Yesterday at lunch a colleague asked me, “Is this going to be a good couple of years or not?” He was referring to the results of Tuesday’s election and the prospects for getting anything productive done in terms of economic policy during the next two years.

If he had asked me on October 28, my answer would have been quick and short: no, there’s not much chance we’ll get anything done in the next two years. On the 28^th, we were nearing the end of a campaign featuring erroneous assertions about Minnesota’s job growth, unemployment rates, and economic policies compared to other states and a generally low level of literacy on economic policy. The bitterness seemed palpable in the mail filling my St. Cloud mailbox.

Then, on October 29, I attended the annual celebration of John Brandl and his “Common Quest for the Common Good” and regained my optimism. I listened to Don Fraser and Al Quie, went back to John’s writings, and hope returned.

John Brandl graduated from St. John’s University in 1959 and earned a Ph.D. in Economics at Harvard. He worked as analyst in the McNamara Defense Department of the 1960s and then served as a deputy assistant secretary in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare under President Johnson. John then returned home and joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota, where he served as a faculty member and dean in the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. From 1977 through 1990 he served in the Minnesota Legislature, first in the House and then in the Senate.

I had the privilege of getting to know John after his retirement from the U of M, when he came to St. John’s and St. Ben’s to teach students and mentor those of us on the faculty who were trying to get students interested and involved in public policy. He is buried in the St. John’s cemetery and when my office was at St. John’s I would regularly take a walk out to his grave to say hello. Sometimes, if I was thinking about a thorny problem, I’d ask, “What would you do, John?”

I continue to ask this question because John’s starting point for public policy was that “only competition and community can dependably channel the efforts of free people to public purposes.” Further, he argued, “competition and community do not substitute for government. They are the instruments through which government facilitates the working out of public purposes by a free people.” (Both quotes are from John’s book, “Money and Good Intentions Are Not Enough, or Why a Liberal Democrat Thinks States Need Both Competition and Community.”)

I push this idea with my students because this is at the heart of economics more generally. Our discipline studies how societies allocate their scarce resources across infinite needs and wants, and we use both competition and community to carry out this task. Economists emphasize competitive markets, but I always point out that markets are instruments to an end, not the end itself, and that building community can be as effective or perhaps even a better way of providing the things our society values.

This is where Democrats and Republicans should start when they think about economic policy. What mix of competition and community will work best to close Minnesota’s racial achievement gap and promote our state’s long-run economic growth? How can tax policy be formulated to encourage Minnesota’s businesses to focus on delivering great products and services in competitive markets rather than using the tax code as their primary route to increasing profits?
But can or will our elected officials do this? I don’t know if they will do this, but listening to Don Fraser and Al Quie I heard how they can do it.

Fraser told us that a good policy maker starts the process by figuring out where he or she stands on an issue, not triangulating their position relative to party or constituents. Only then can you talk to members of your own party, the other party, and your constituents about it and learn from them.
Quie pointed out that good policy is like a child: it has DNA from both parents. And, the way to get that mix is to Listen, Think, and Love.

Laura Bloomberg, associate dean of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, said that John Brandl had both “a powerful intellect and a big heart.” If we follow John Brandl’s lead and build our policies on competition and community, if we learn from Don Fraser to know where each of us stands on the issues, and we listen, then think, and always love as Al Quie teaches us, then my answer to my colleague today is “Yes, we can do great things.”

Joe Farry Professor Louis Johnston named Growth & Justice Policy Fellow

2014-10-30T14:35:00.001-05:00

Paul Anton, Louis Johnston Named G&J Policy Fellows

By: Growth & Justice

10/23/14

We are pleased to announce the addition of two highly respected Minnesota economists to our team of Policy Fellows. They are Paul Anton, chief economist for Anton Economics and formerly a top adviser to several of Minnesota’s largest banks, including the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis; and Louis Johnston, associate professor of economics at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University, and also the Joseph P. Farry professor in the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement. Anton’s areas of expertise include benefit-cost and return-on-investment analysis, economic impact analysis, and urban planning and land use studies. Johnston’s specialties include the evolution of Minnesota’s economy and the history of the U.S. economy before 1930. Both have been widely published over many years in economic journals and the news media. Anton serves on the Council of Economic Advisers for the state of Minnesota and Johnston is a frequent contributor of commentary and expert analysis to MinnPost and other Minnesota media.

Matt Rhoades To Be Featured at Mark Kennedy Frontiers of Freedom Lecture Series

2014-08-18T12:49:00.002-05:00

The Eugene J. McCarthy Center is pleased to announce that "The Mark Kennedy Frontiers of Freedom Lecture Series" will feature Matt Rhoades at Saint John's University on September 15, 2014. The time of the lecture has yet to be determined.

Rhoades is the Founder of America Rising SuperPAC and former Romney for America Campaign Manager.

This Lecture Series is made possible through the generosity of the Honorable Mark Kennedy '79.

McCarthy Center Student Coordinator Justin Markon on his summer experience at Citizens League

2014-08-05T14:51:00.001-05:00

Observations from a ‘Little Leaguer’: Farewell Intern Justin Markon

The Citizens League

For the last several years, the Citizens League has been fortunate enough to host a Brandl Scholar from the Eugene J. McCarthy Center at St. John’s University over the summer. The interns we’ve had from this program are bright and enthusiastic, and quickly become key contributors to our work at the League. This year’s intern, Justin Markon, was absolutely no exception. He stepped in with great initiative and became a valued member of the staff. Our thanks to him and the Eugene J. McCarthy Center at St. John’s for this ongoing partnership. The following are some parting words from Justin as he prepares for his final year at St. John’s.

Working with the Citizens League this summer has been a valuable experience. The League itself is a unique organization, as I’ve heard staff explain on numerous occasions. When I began my internship, words like “organizing agency” and “civic policy making” were difficult to grasp, and I know for all staff their meanings continue to evolve. I tried to jump right in and learn as much about the League’s work, including the electrical energy project, which has been extremely rewarding. My biggest takeaway from this summer has been learning about civic policy making and why the Citizens League is relevant today as much as ever. Unfortunately, our political system these days is not operating at its best. Speakers at seminars or discussions call for change to the current system, but do so without suggesting meaningful resolutions that truly help all parties. The Citizens League, over its 62 years, has crafted real solutions. Over that time, not every policy won unanimous support, but the staff and members choose issues they see as making Minnesota a better place. These are lessons I will take no matter where life takes me.
In three weeks, I will start my final year at St. John’s University on Minnesota’s prairie. I am very excited to take a class on local and regional politics, where I am sure I will use knowledge from this summer. Additionally, this year I will complete my senior thesis. I plan to write on the political differences between Minnesota and Wisconsin that have cropped up in the past decade. Undoubtedly, work by the Citizens League will serve as background for comparing polices. After graduation in May I will seek gainful employment, like most college graduates. Right now, I’m not sure what sector or policy area I will jump in first, but I am excited to see what is over the horizon.
Finally, I am excited for the future of the Citizens League. I am thankful to the Eugene J. McCarthy Center at St. John’s for giving me this opportunity to learn from and work with the Citizens League. As one of those citizens, I hope to stay involved and watch the continued success. Thank you to all the staff, members and supporters for making this a meaningful summer. The Citizens League is an important institution in Minnesota that will continue to serve the people and create “common ground for the common good.”

Sivarajah, Clark to speak at Politics & A Pint at CSB on Thursday

2014-03-31T15:42:00.000-05:00

Collegeville, MN -- The Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy & Civic Engagement is pleased to announce that Anoka County Commissioner and 6th District congressional candidate Rhonda Sivarajah and Former MN Senator Tarryl Clark will be the special guests at this Thursday's Politics & A Pint.

Sivarajah and Clark will be joined by CSBSJU political organization chairs Bridget Cummings (College Democrats), Ashley Bukowski (College Republicans), and Katherine Zuroski (Students Fostering Conservative Thought) to discuss the challenges women face in politics.

CSBSJU Political Science professor Dr. Claire Haeg will moderate the discussion.

These six women will join the CSBSJU community on Thursday, April 3 at 5pm in O'Connell's at the College of Saint Benedict in Saint Joseph, MN.

The bi-monthly conversation series is sponsored by the McCarthy Center.

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President Hemesath, Dr. Hayes Discuss Ukraine at Politics & A Pint

2014-03-19T15:37:00.000-05:00

SJU President Dr. Michael Hemesath with CSBSJU Professor Christi Siver

and student Bridget Cummings after "Politics & A Pint: Ukraine on the Brink " on Thursday.

Collegeville, MN – Last Thursday, Saint John’s University President Dr. Michael Hemesath and Dr. Nick Hayes joined CSBSJU students and community members in Brother Willie’s Pub to lead a discussion about the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

At the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement’s “Politics & A Pint: Ukraine On The Brink,” President Hemesath and Dr. Hayes shared their insights on Ukrainian history and the current crisis.

CSBSJU students Melissa DeOrio and McKensie Diver had the privilege to moderate the interview with our distinguished guests. “I thought it was a lot of fun.” DeOrio said. “It was awesome to see two really bright individuals share their insights and talents of the region with all of us.”

Remarkable turnout

According to last week’s attendance tally, the Politics & A Pint attracted 130 engaged citizens. This high attendance has now become a pattern.

Since the conversation series’ birth in the spring of 2008, its student and community participation has grown exponentially. McCarthy Center Director and CSBSJU Professor Matt Lindstrom attributes this success to the Center’s impressive presence on campus.

“Since we have started Politics & A Pint, the branding of the event has increased dramatically,” explained Lindstrom. “Students know that it’s by students and for students.”

In the future, the McCarthy Center hopes to attract even more students to its events. SJU President Hemesath shares this desire and encourages everyone to participate in a Politics & A Pint at their time here at CSBSJU.

“It’s important to have these discussions in class, but I think it is also great that our future engaged citizens get a chance to talk about these things in an extra-curricular setting,” Hemesath said. “That’s what Politics & A Pint is all about.”

Practical utility

And this unique environment comes with powerful benefits. Not only do students learn the value of continually being informed on the issues of today, but students also acquire invaluable skills like constructing arguments, articulating probing questions, and expanding one’s outlook.

Despite coming from different academic perspectives, President Hemesath enjoyed participating in civil-discourse and discussion with Dr. Hayes.

“It was fun to go back and forth with Dr. Hayes a little bit to see how a historian and an economist might view the world a little differently,” President Hemesath said after the event. “It was great to show students that we can disagree with each other and come to completely different conclusions by looking at the same set of facts.”

The importance of being internationally aware

Dr. Hayes echoed the President’s appreciation for the opportunity to speak in front of so many students and community members. Hayes’ also hoped his appearance showed students the importance of thinking globally.

“If you are not intellectually aware, if you don’t have a consciousness that is global and international, you will fall hopelessly behind,” says Dr. Hayes. That’s why he encourages students to be global citizens: to get ahead.

“When you get engaged internationally, it’s not just that you master a topic, it’s that you develop into a different person. You will have greater self-confidence. You will have greater knowledge of us and our encounters in the international world. Ultimately, it teaches you a lot about America.”

Learning these skills in the low-stake, informal environment in Brother Willie’s Pub is helping mold countless CSBSJU students into the kind of future leaders our current world so desperately needs.

“Given that we want to train engaged citizens for the 21^st century, I think everyone here should take a chance and stop by a Politics & A Pint,” said President Hemesath.

To view the full "Politics & A Pint: Ukraine on the Brink" event on YouTube, click here.

President Hemesath graduated summa cum laude with a degree in economics from Saint John’s University in 1981 and received his master's and doctoral degrees in economics from Harvard University.

Dr. Hayes holds his MA and Ph.D in History from the University of Chicago where he specialized in 20^th Century Russia and Europe. Currently, Hayes is a CSBSJU Professor of History and University Chair in Critical Thinking.

The Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement, founded in 2006, sponsors the bi-monthly conversation series on issues relating to politics, public policy and community involvement.

The next Politics & A Pint is scheduled for April 3^rd at 5:00 PM in O’Connell’s Coffee House at the College of Saint Benedict and will focus on about the challenges facing women entering politics and the ways in which this generation can close the gender gap in public office.

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McCarthy Center Director Matt Lindstrom Participates in Local Sartell Debate

2014-02-12T15:30:00.000-06:00

Debate: Should Chickens Be Able To Roost In Residential Areas?

Feb 7, 2014

MPR NEWS

A debate from the "Sartell Says: Town Hall Debate" series, on the motion "Chickens should be able to roost in residential areas." The debate touched on issues related to urban and rural life, local food, personal rights, property values, and more. Moderated by Patty Candella.

Debate Guests:

YES: Matt Lindstrom: Professor of political science at St. John's University and the College of St. Benedict. Director of the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement.

YES: Jean Lavigne: Professor and chair, Environmental Studies department, St. John's University and the College of St. Benedict.

NO: King Banaian: Professor of economics, St. Cloud State University. Former State Representative.

NO: Lisa Schriefels: St. Cloud Health Director.

Patty Candella: Moderator, "Sartell Says: Town Hall Debates."

To listen to the full debate, click here

McCarthy Center Hosts Economic Talk With Louis Johnston and Chris Farrell

2014-01-15T15:39:00.001-06:00

A Year End Look at the Economy

December 19, 2013
Saint John's University

Digital Commons @CSBSJU

Picture Courtesy of MPR News

Two economists looked back on 2013 and predicted what's ahead economically for 2014 during a live radio taping for Minnesota Public Radio at noon Thursday, Dec. 19 at the Lecture Hall (room 102), Saint John's University Art Center, Collegeville.

"MPR News Presents: A Year-End Look at the Economy" featured Louis Johnston, associate professor of economics at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University who holds the Joseph P. Farry Professorship at SJU, and Chris Farrell, MPR's economics correspondent. The discussion was hosted by MPR Editor at Large Gary Eichten.

"Chris and I will look at the economic scene from state, national and international perspectives," Johnston said. "Gary Eichten and audience members will ask questions that will push us to talk about where we've been, where we are and where we're likely going."

Johnston writes a twice-monthly column on economics called Macro, Micro, Minnesota for MinnPost.com, reporting on economic developments in the news and what those developments mean to Minnesota. He is a frequent contributor on economic issues on MPR and WCCO Radio.
Johnston, who has taught at CSB and SJU since 1997, specializes in macroeconomics and economic history.

Farrell is economics editor of "Marketplace Money," a nationally syndicated one-hour personal finance show produced by American Public Media. He is also an economics correspondent for "Marketplace," the largest business program in broadcasting and chief economics correspondent for American RadioWorks.

The award-winning journalist and author of two books, Farrell is a graduate of Stanford University and the London School of Economics.

Eichten, an award-winning broadcaster who hosted the "Midday" program on MPR for over 20 years before retiring from that position in January 2012, is a 1969 graduate of SJU. Eichten began his career at MPR as a student announcer at KSJR in Collegeville (MPR's first station).

The event was sponsored by the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement at Saint John's University, serving the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University.

To watch the full interview, click here.

Central Minnesota experts take academic perspective to political bickering and society

2013-11-19T15:04:00.000-06:00

Central Minnesota experts take academic perspective to political bickering and society

Saint Cloud Times

By Stephanie Dickrell

Little compromise is seen in Washington, experts say, but it's rare in daily conversation although debate in Washington seems to have calmed down for the time being, it’s left many wondering whether compromise is a lost art.

Attendees gather around economics professors and moderators King Banaian from St. Cloud State University and Louis Johnston from St. John's University on Thursday for the McCarthy Center-sponsored Politics and a Pint discussion on the debt ceiling. / Kimm Anderson, kanderson@stcloudtimes.com

The struggle to effectively compromise also can be seen in the Minnesota Legislature, which itself triggered a state government shutdown in 2011. And a local professor said he has seen students who think they can argue a point by simply stating an opinion, not realizing they need to back it up with fact. It can even be seen at the dinner table where friends and relatives call for compromise then deride a politician for taking a moderate stand.

The causes of the shutdown deal with political realities, but also how Americans argue and disagree with each other and how groups work through conflicts.

Local experts examined the shutdown from their academic perspectives, suggesting factors that contribute to gridlock in Washington, whether it can be fixed and what it says about American culture.

The answer? It’s complicated, and no, there’s no silver bullet.

Matt Lindstrom, a political science professor and director of the McCarthy Center at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University, said it’s hard to say whether a “culture of no compromise” at the national level trickles down to state and local politics, but he said it would be an intriguing research project.

He regularly has group discussions on contentious issues, such as the Politics and a Pint discussion last week where local experts discussed the debt ceiling debate with students and the public.
“Most people don’t like the bickering and no compromise; they see the dysfunctionality of the shutdown,” he said. “But at the same time, they go to their dinner tables and Facebook and continue zero-sum dialogue.”

“There’s a cognitive dissonance in our culture ... I see it over and over again,” he said. Lindstrom said it’s common to hear assertions that compromise is beneficial, followed by, for instance, labeling an anti-abortion Democrat a sellout or some Republicans RINOs — “Republican in name only,” he said
“That whole definition of RINO is a deadly word. ... It’s a destructive acronym ... it’s driven by the underlying assumption that compromise is bad,” he said.

It reminded him of a Ronald Reagan quote, he said: “The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally — not a 20 percent traitor.”

He harkened back to the oft-cited relationship between Reagan, a Republican president, and Tip O’Neill, a Democratic speaker of the House, one where they disagreed over policy but got along personally.

“At least they were talking and respecting one another,” he said. “We need a lot more of that these days.”

Lindstrom attributed the crisis in Congress largely to two facts: the lack of cross-party socialization between members of Congress, and electorally “safe” legislative districts. In safe districts, candidates and office-holders don’t have to worry about appealing to the middle. Instead, they worry about losing a primary to someone with a more extreme position to the right or left.

Can't they all just get along?

Arik Putnam is an associate professor of communications at St. Ben’s and St. John’s. He regularly teaches students the dynamics of debate and how to debate to resolve conflict.

He said the knee-jerk reaction to crises like those in Congress is “can’t they just get along?”
Humans incorrectly believe we’re good at dealing with conflict, he said, but we’re not. Simply asking Congress members to put aside personal interests won’t work.

“It won’t work. That’s an insane expectation for a human being,” he said. “The notion to put aside differences and come together is so naive and ahistorical and a bad idea.”

“The idea is not to get rid of difference but to find better ways of dealing with it.”

And the fact we complain about their inability to compromise means we’re implicated in that culture, and that it’s part of a larger cultural trend.

“We like to feel judgmental. There’s a lot of pleasure in judgment,” he said.

He likens it to obsession with the foibles of celebrities, because we can say to ourselves at least we’re not like that.
“It’s the same kind of titillation in scandal, conflict and disagreement,” he said. “Conflict itself is good, but the titillation around it is not.”

The blame game

Putnam contends much of the rhetoric around the shutdown wasn’t focused on resolving the conflict, but rather to blame the other side.

“I think appearing to disagree is more profitable. In the contemporary debate about shutdown ... it has everything to do with blame,” Putnam said. “Blame is a really profitable thing to do. ... Accusing other people is really useful.”

“By posturing, you put off loss,” he said. “We need to find better of ways dealing with not winning everything we want.”

St. Cloud State University Professor of Political Science Steve Frank said accepting loss as part of the political process informs how he approaches another of his roles: that of a St. Joseph City Council member.

And when you do things incrementally, it’s sometimes easier to get consensus.
“You don’t have to change everything at once.”

Putnam high worries events such as the shutdown and debt ceiling deadline could make students less politically engaged and more cynical.

He said he is now seeing students who fail to realize the need for evidence to support an opinion.
“People don’t even tend to justify things anymore,” he said, behaving as though an opinion and an argument carry equal weight.

“The process of justification ... is more important than the assertion itself,” he said.

Work with the 'enemy'

Lindstrom said the lack of socialization between Congress members “dehumanizes the opposition.”
“When you don’t know the other person as a human being, but just as a ‘D’ and an ‘R,’ that incentivizes the culture of no compromise because you’re working with the enemy,” he said.

To get his students to humanize another position, Frank encourages students to change their media habits.

To students who primarily watch Fox News, he suggests reading New York Times editorials. Students who watch MSNBC are encouraged to check out The Wall Street Journal’s editorials.

“That doesn’t mean you accept those ideas,” Frank said, but “if you get a better understanding of where people are coming from, you see where the common areas of understanding are.”

Opening minds

“In order to engage in genuine debate, you have to prepare to be wrong,” Lindstrom said. “You have to be open to what they have to say to you.”

That’s a trait that isn’t widely encouraged.

“We’re more committed to assertiveness and conquest,” he said.

How do we fix this? Experts agree: There’s no quick fix.

Making legislative districts more “purple” — less dominantly Democrat or Republican — could lead to political moderation, Lindstrom said.

But redrawing of legislative districts is years away and in some ideological strongholds probably wouldn’t change much.

House seats, with their shorter terms, were designed to be in touch with the political winds of the day, Lindstrom said. “However ... because of the safe seats, the political winds are not as impactful,” he said.

As for an open mind?

“Both parties are guilty of that bunker mentality,” Lindstrom said, because interest groups are watching closely and scoring votes.

“If you see 360 degrees, that doesn’t mean you’re selling out,” Lindstrom said. “It means you’re talking to other sides.”Central Minnesota experts take academic perspective to political bickering and society

Cokie Roberts Promotes Conscience and Courage in Public Life at McCarthy Lecture

2013-11-19T14:53:00.000-06:00

Cokie Roberts Promotes Conscience and Courage in Public Life at McCarthy Lecture

The Record

CSBSJU

Cokie Roberts addressed the CSB/SJU community Wednesday night for the seventh annual Eugene J. McCarthy lecture | Evan Gruenes

By Sarah Young | September 24th, 2013

The crowds overflowed Wednesday night as one of America’s leading political commentators and journalists spoke to the CSB/SJU community.

ABC News broadcaster and NPR contributor Cokie Roberts delivered the seventh installment of the Eugene J. McCarthy Center lecture series at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 18 at the Stephen B. Humphrey Theater. Roberts’ lecture was entitled “Conscience and Courage in Public Life.”

Upon graduating from Wellesley College in Mass., Roberts went on to become a nationally-known journalist and commentator. She co-anchored ABC’s “This Week” with Sam Donaldson from 1996-2002. She has reported for World News Tonight, other ABC shows and served as a correspondent for CBS.

In addition to television broadcasting, Roberts is a political contributor to NPR, where she was the congressional correspondent for more than 10 years. Roberts and her husband publish a weekly column for newspapers around the nation.

Roberts has also been heavily involved in civic engagement, an area of importance for the McCarthy Center at SJU. She has served on the board of the Kaiser Family foundation and on the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation under George W. Bush.

Roberts focused on the need for progression in society and specifically on the role that women and minorities can take. Roberts described her beliefs on the roles of religious leaders in society.
Nuns are “historically more involved as citizens than any of us realized,” Roberts said.

She shared a special connection with the community of CSB, attending an all-female liberal arts college herself.

“The nuns don’t give up,” Roberts said in reference to a long history of religious women taking positions of leadership.

Roberts went on to say the role of religious women in society has not only been a gift to the church, but also the country.

She mentioned the yearlong centennial celebrations at CSB, and encouraged the Bennies in the audience to “be the agents of change in society,” and to “give voice to the powerless.”

“We need you to do that kind of work as a public servant,” Roberts said.

Roberts’s education at an entirely female institution hit home for some CSB students.

“I think it’s fantastic,” sophomore Diana Elhard said. “Being a Bennie, it’s important to realize that in (Roberts’) first months after college on the job market, it was legal for people to say ‘I am sorry we don’t let women do that job,’ and that was impressive being that was her first experience in the job world, and it’s important because that wasn’t that long ago.”

Roberts also spoke about the world of changing journalism and the role that younger generations play in new media, making references to Twitter.

“Media plays a very important part in how people view politics and for that reason Cokie Roberts is very influential. She uses media to bring politics to everyone,” SJU Sophomore Edwin Torres said. “She starts debates and talks about how we can bring Congress together and not be so polarized.”
Roberts stressed the importance of looking back at the history of the country and the institutions of CSB/SJU, and stressed the importance of continuing forward with the work that has already been done in the world of civil and social rights.

We need to have “the conscience and courage to go into public life and make a difference,” Roberts said.

New drinking laws prompt civic action by college students

2013-11-18T14:44:00.000-06:00

New drinking laws prompt civic action by college students

Minnesota Public Radio

Young Reporters Series

May 10, 2013

College students in central Minnesota are learning a few life lessons on how government works. The subject at hand -- three new ordinances designed to control underage drinking in the city of St. Joseph.

Students were caught off guard by the new rules and now they're getting more active in city lawmaking. Will Moore, a graduating senior at St. John's University, has the latest installment in our Young Reporters series.

By Will Moore

St. Joseph is home to the College of St. Benedict, with a concentrated population of students from St. Ben's and St. John's University. In fact, college students make up more than a third of St. Joseph's population -- 2,380 students live in the city, which has a total population of 6,534, according to census figures.

The three new laws went into effect in March. The first requires landlords to sign a keg permit acknowledging beer will be served on their property. The second allows police to charge people who are drunk with a misdemeanor if they're uncooperative with police.

The third ordinance holds hosts responsible if any minors drink alcohol at their social gatherings. The social host law is getting a lot of attention from students 21 and over because they fear the repercussions of socializing with mixed-age groups.

Council meeting

Shane Schiavo, 22, is a senior at St. John's. Schiavo is originally from Marshall, but now lives in St. Joseph, and he believes the punishment for violating the social host ordinance is too severe.
"One silly mistake and you get a misdemeanor, mandatory court appearance, possible jail time, up to a $1,000 fine that sticks with you for the rest of your life and can haunt you in your job search, can haunt you in anything," he said. "The punishment does not match the crime."

Neither city nor school officials informed students about the new ordinances until after they were passed in January. After several weeks of growing confusion, students organized a special meeting to get more information.

A meeting of the school's "Politics and a Pint" series focused solely on this topic. The series, which is hosted by students and focuses on a variety of issues, allows alcohol to be consumed by attendees who are 21 and older. Political science professor Matt Lindstrom moderates the series.

Happy hour

"We're going to hear all about kegs and social host ordinance, what that means, and also -- pay attention -- what it doesn't mean. And that's, I think, just as important," said Lindstrom.

A few hundred students packed Brother Willie's, the on-campus pub at St. John's, to hear public officials speak, including the mayor of St. Joseph, a council member and Police Chief Pete Jansky. Jansky told the students they're not the only ones concerned about the social host ordinance.

"Many of the cities, especially the ones with college communities in them, have the social host (law)," Jansky said. "We're the community that's probably one of the late bloomers coming through. Why did we do that? Because we wanted to do it right."

The Twin Cities suburb of Chaska passed the state's first social host ordinance in 2007, after a 19-year-old man who had attended a party in the city froze to death walking home while drunk. Now, more than 80 Minnesota cities and towns have passed some sort of social host law, and they cover more than half the state's population.

Violation rates

St. Cloud is one of those cities, and is home to a large student population from two schools in the area. Since St. Cloud's law went into effect three years ago, the city has seen a decline in public drunkenness, noise violations, and alcohol-related emergency room admissions.

Noise violations dropped from 418 in 2008 to 188 last year, according to data provided by St. Cloud City Attorney Matthew Staehling. Violations for disruptive intoxication declined from 14 in 2010 to three last year. And social host violations dropped from 90 three years ago to 30 last year. St. Joseph used St. Cloud's law as a template for its own.

Chief Jansky said St. John's and St. Ben's have had their own alcohol-related problems.
"Every year that I've been here for the past 12 years we've come very close to losing students because of alcohol poisoning. I think I can unequivocally say all of them were underage," said Jansky.
Even so, some students are not convinced the ordinance will stop underage drinking.

"I don't know of anyone who's underage who is going to stop drinking because of these ordinances," said Katie Zuroski, 20, a junior at St. Ben's. "I think that they're going to be sneakier about it and maybe more cautious, but I don't think that's going to change anything."

Many other students are using social media to call for better communication and more student involvement in city and school decisions. A Facebook group set up for that purpose attracted more than 1,000 members in its first three days. Even the mayor of St. Joseph joined the online discussion.

Shane Schiavo and Sam Dittberner

Since then, several students have been meeting with city officials regularly to voice their opinions. Senior Jenny Kunkel, 22, of Roseville, says the students who live in St. Joseph are ready to get involved if they're shown how.

"To even consider going to a council meeting ... that would be talking about school levies for the middle school or something -- that wouldn't be something I'd instinctively go to," she said. "But if they said, 'Hey, we're talking about something that's going to influence you,' I think people would show up."

And they did.

Despite a freak spring snowstorm, dozens of students attended a St. Joseph City Council meeting on April 18, where lawmakers asked them to present ideas. That meeting had a larger student presence than Police Chief Jansky said he'd seen in his decade as chief, and he thinks it's a good sign that students are getting more involved.

Students say they hope to reduce the punishment for social hosts. They're working with St. Joseph to put city news in the campus newspaper. And they want to create a program where students work directly with the council so they're more aware of city issues that could have an impact on them. New drinking laws prompt civic action by college students

In St. Joseph, Dayton says he supports state-level checks for guns

2013-02-15T15:46:00.001-06:00

In St. Joseph, Dayton says he supports state-level checks for guns

Governor also defended his tax proposals in Wednesday question-and-answer session

ST. JOSEPH — Gov. Mark Dayton said Wednesday he supports requiring universal background checks for gun sales in Minnesota, one of several high-profile gun proposals now before the Legislature.

Dayton also vigorously defended his proposal to overhaul the state tax code, decrying as “dishonest” those who say his plan would cost middle-class taxpayers as well as the wealthy.

The governor’s remarks came at a question-and-answer session with moderator Gary Eichten and College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University students, sponsored by the university’s McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement.

Eichten asked Dayton if he backs efforts to extend background checks to gun sales between private individuals and other sales now exempt from such checks.

“From the standpoint of common sense, that’s something I hope they’ll advance in the Legislature, and I’ll certainly support it,” Dayton said.

After the session, Dayton said he supported a federal requirement for universal background checks on gun sales when he served in the U.S. Senate. He said he now supports such a requirement at the state level.

A bill to address that issue was one of several gun proposals discussed in highly charged public hearings last week in the Minnesota House.

When asked if he would sign one of the bills implementing the universal-background-check requirement, Dayton said: “I won’t sign anything until I’ve read it, but again, I support the principle.”

President Barack Obama called for a federal requirement for universal background checks during his visit to Minneapolis last week.

Dayton also rejected suggestions that his budget proposal, released last month, would hurt the middle class. His plan to overhaul the tax code would hike tobacco taxes and income tax rates on the wealthy, broaden the sales tax to many services and some clothing purchases while lowering the rate, and give property-tax rebates of as much as $500 to homeowners.

“My tax proposals have always been specifically targeted at those who can most afford to pay more,” Dayton said.

Chuck Hagel's Afghanistan Positions Align Closely To Obama's, Despite War Critic Reputation

2013-01-09T13:07:00.000-06:00

In this June 26, 2008 file photo, then-Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) speaks on foreign policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington. President Barack Obama may round out his new national security leadership team next week, with a nomination for defense secretary expected and a pick to lead the CIA possible. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke, File)

President Barack Obama is reportedly set to nominate former Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Vietnam veteran and outspoken critic of the war in Iraq, as his secretary of defense on Monday.

Hagel, a Republican who represented the state of Nebraska for two terms, famously broke with his party in the mid 2000s over the Bush administration's handling of the war on terror and its military adventures in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But while Hagel has built a solid reputation -- decried by the right and hailed by the left -- for being a no-nonsense war critic and foreign policy realist, he has also emerged as a quiet partner of President Obama on foreign policy, a relationship that dates back to their shared time on Capitol Hill and extending into Hagel's retirement.

That relationship is no better exemplified than in the debate over Obama's troop surge in Afghanistan, about which Hagel had been publicly skeptical but in the end a tactic he largely avoided criticizing as he had done previously with the surge in Iraq.

In 2006, as Congress debated supporting President Bush's troop surge into Iraq, Hagel fiercely opposed the plan, calling it "the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam."

Similarly, he often charged that a surge into Afghanistan would be a mistake if there was not a better-articulated overall strategy.

"I'm not sure we know what the hell we are doing in Afghanistan," Hagel told The National Journal's Michael Hirsh in 2010. "It's not sustainable at all. I think we're marking time as we slaughter more young people."

But his message on the Afghanistan troop surge was always more complex. In the summer of 2009, as the Obama administration studied the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and prepared for a possible surge of troops into that war, Hagel offered surprisingly high praise for the president's deliberation process.

"It's a tough call -- I think it's going to be his toughest call in his first four years," said Hagel in a September 2009 speech at St. John's University in Minnesota. "Whatever he says, he's going to get hit politically ... You're going to have one hell of a shootout here. This guy Obama's smart enough, he's tough enough, he'll do what he thinks is right for the country."

In addition to praising the president, Hagel's own position has come more in line with that of Obama, whose thoughts on the surge were in evidence when the president was just a candidate calling for a renewed focus on Afghanistan.

"We are stretched too thin in Afghanistan, in my opinion, with manpower," Obama said on "Face the Nation" in July 2008, at a time when Hagel had still refused to endorse John McCain for president and was already fielding questions about whether he might take a cabinet position in an Obama administration. "We are going to have to put some additional troops in there."

By the summer of 2009, when General Stanley McChrystal delivered his Afghanistan troop assessment that called for tens of thousands of new forces, Hagel had gone from anti-war gadfly to an instrumental part of the Obama foreign policy machine, including positions on Secretary of Defense Bob Gates' defense policy board and Obama's intelligence advisory board.

"I've had some input on this," he said, during the 2009 speech, in response to a question about the surge. "I'm on the secretary of defense's policy advisory board, and I spent a day and a half last week with the national security adviser [James] Jones last weekend. So I have some ways in. Doesn't mean they listen to me, but I do have some sense of what's ahead here."

The speech, part of the Eugene J. McCarthy lecture series (which honors the famous senator-turned-Vietnam war critic), would have been an ideal environment for Hagel to express any strong misgivings about the ultimate plan to escalate the war in Afghanistan. Instead, Hagel tempered his critique.

"I think the president is approaching this very carefully, listening to all sides," he said. "I've talked to McChrystal, Admiral [Mike] Mullen. I've told them my thoughts on this because they've asked me. They've got to figure it out what is our strategic purpose, our doctrine, and then match the resources."

Posted: 01/07/2013 11:18 am EST

Updated: 01/07/2013 11:31 am EST
Joshua Hersh

Political Science Professor Jim Read Writes Op-Ed for Saint Cloud Times on the Proposed Voter ID Amendment

2012-10-15T12:50:00.004-05:00

Voter ID doesn't prevent fraud

Proposed amendment will negatively affect students

Students at my university come from many cities and towns in Minnesota and other states. Many will be voting for the first time Nov. 6. They will not all vote the same way. They differ politically like the rest of us. What brings them together is that their college campus has become their new home for four years, the community where they emerge as adults and full participants in our democracy.
On the ballot in Minnesota this year is a proposed constitutional amendment that may significantly affect the voting opportunities of college students, renters who move frequently, and others who for one reason or another lack the prescribed documents. At first it seems reasonable to require that you show a government-issued photo ID to prove who you are when you show up to vote. But proving who you are is only part of it. Proving where you live using government-issued ID is often the more difficult part.

Few college students have a driver’s license listing the college campus as their official residence. Instead it still lists their parents’ address in Duluth, Minneapolis, International Falls and so on. Of course students can apply for absentee ballots, or travel to their parents’ home on Election Day, or pay for a new driver’s license with new address before the old one has expired. But few will realize this until it is too late. Voting rates among college students would plummet if on Election Day they had to produce government-issued photo ID listing the address of their college residence.
Minnesota election law does not require this. Instead students living on campus can use university-issued photo IDs to vote if their university has provided the county with student residency information. Students living off-campus may use utility bills to prove residency or have someone registered in the district personally vouch for where they live.

What will happen to college students and others in comparable circumstances if the Voter ID amendment passes?

Everything depends on how the legislation implementing the amendment is written. Nothing in the actual text of the amendment rules out multiple types of photo identification and multiple methods of documenting residency, as under current law.

Voter impersonation could be prevented without burdening legitimate voters.

But many advocates of the proposed amendment push legislation that would impose significant new obstacles for college students and others with new addresses.

The Voter ID bill vetoed last year by Gov. Mark Dayton would have required government-issued photo ID with birth date and current address in the precinct — all on the same card. The bill specifically prohibited the use of student photo ID cards. A valid driver’s license showing a different address was invalid documentation for voting. Individuals could apply in advance for special Voter ID cards issued free of charge, but would have to apply for new cards every time they moved — perhaps even from one dormitory to another.

The real costs here are time costs: a bureaucratic obstacle course that imposes far-greater burdens on some voters than others.

Advocates claim such measures are necessary to prevent voter fraud. Yet a 2012 Carnegie-Knight investigation found only 10 cases of voter impersonation fraud nationwide since 2000, and none in Minnesota. How many thousands of legitimate voters are we willing to burden to prevent one rare (or nonexistent) case of impersonation?

Real election fraud — the kind that changes outcomes — happens when ballot boxes disappear, vote counts are falsely reported or voters of a certain race or political persuasion are prevented from voting. Fraud of that type has occurred often in U.S. history. Voter ID does nothing to prevent it.
I will vote “no” on this amendment. But the amendment itself is only Round One. If it passes, Round Two — how elected officials write the implementing legislation — immediately begins. Those who value the equal right of all citizens to vote should contact elected officials and candidates in both parties to insist that our election laws safeguard that right.

MPR's Kerri Miller to moderate panel at Saint John's on religion and politics on October 25

2012-10-10T10:25:00.002-05:00

MPR’s Kerri Miller to moderate panel at Saint John’s on religion and politics

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Minnesota Public Radio host Kerri Miller will be the moderator for the panel program “Religion and Politics in Today’s America: An Interfaith Conversation” at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, in the Stephen B. Humphrey Theater at Saint John’s University.

Pastor Leith Anderson, Imam Makram Nu’Man El-Amin, the Rev. Bill Vos and Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman will be the panelists.

The program, jointly sponsored by the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement at Saint John’s University and the Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning, is free and open to the public.

“Religious ideas and convictions have had an historic and important role in shaping political discourse, elections and public policy,” said Matt Lindstrom, director of the McCarthy Center. “This year’s political campaigns at the national and state levels are no different as religious leaders and faith communities play myriad roles.”

According to John Merkle, director of the Jay Phillips Center, “the panelists will discuss how their religious faith influences their political ideas and commitments, the impact this election season is having on their faith communities and how they deal with apparent and real contradictions or tensions in their religion’s sacred texts and traditions concerning issues found in contemporary politics.”

Miller is host of MPR’s weekday news program “The Daily Circuit.” She has been a radio and television news reporter since 1981 and joined MPR in 2004.

Anderson is president of the National Association of Evangelicals. He served as senior pastor of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minn., from 1977 until 2011.

El-Amin is resident imam of Masjid An-Nur Minneapolis. He is co-founder of the Muslim American Society of Young Adults.

Vos, a priest of the Diocese of St. Cloud, is director of Catholic Relief Services for central Minnesota and chair of the board of directors of Maryknoll Lay Missioners.

Zimmerman has been the senior rabbi of Temple Israel in Minneapolis since 2001, where she holds the Alvin and June Perlman Senior Rabbinic Chair.

Griffin '09 Moots for Her Majesty

2012-03-15T14:34:00.002-05:00

Barry Griffin (Class of '09), a law student at King's College in London, was one of four top students who had the pleasure to moot — participating in a simulated court proceeding — for Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. As part of her diamond jubilee celebrations, the Queen was on hand to formally open Somerset House, the new home of King's College School of Law.
Griffin served as president of the law school's Bar Society and is currently president of The Bahamas Law Students' Association.

Letter: SJU students' spirit at caucus encouraging

2012-02-16T14:33:00.002-06:00

The Republican caucus of Collegeville precincts 1 and 2 was held Feb. 7 at St. John’s University, with standing room-only attendance.
It was refreshing and encouraging to see some 40 St. John’s students of Precinct 2 enthusiastically participating and volunteering to be precinct officers and delegates to the next level. Several of these young men spoke in support of candidates, participated in the discussion of platform issues, and interacted in a positive way with the 20 community residents present.
This was a great example of making quality intergenerational connections. I commend these young men for taking the time to become involved in this grass-roots process, and encourage them to continue to be active.

Written by
Bill Lewis
Cold Spring

8 CSB/SJU students, professor volunteer for roadside cleanup

2011-11-22T12:46:00.003-06:00

Eight students from the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University, along with Professor Matt Lindstrom, director of the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement at St. John’s, volunteered for the center’s first roadside cleanup. The McCarthy Center recently adopted a 3.2-mile stretch of highway south of Avon. The cleanup was Oct. 9. The McCarthy Center will invite members of the CSB/SJU community to participate in this cleanup again each spring and fall. Photo submitted by Melissa DeOrio, Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement Written by
Submitted by Melissa DeOrio
Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement

Filed Under
Citizen Times
College Of St. Benedict
Eight students from the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University, along with Professor Matt Lindstrom, director of the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement at St. John’s, volunteered for the center’s first roadside cleanup. The McCarthy Center recently adopted a 3.2-mile stretch of highway south of Avon. The cleanup was on Oct. 9. The McCarthy Center will invite members of the CSB/SJU community to participate in this roadside cleanup again each spring and fall.
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FactCheck.org founder spends week at SJU

2011-06-21T11:33:00.003-05:00

Written by
Mark Sommerhauser
msommerhauser@stcloudtimes.com

Like to follow politics through blogs, Facebook and Twitter?

Use of these and other social-networking platforms may encourage voters to type first and think later, a political expert with Central Minnesota ties said Tuesday.

Kathleen Hall Jamieson directs the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania and helped found FactCheck.org, a pioneering website that scrutinizes statements made by politicians in ads and debates.
Jamieson this week is a scholar-in-residence at the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement at St. John’s University. That puts Jamieson in familiar territory, as she’s a 1964 graduate of St. Benedict’s High School in St. Joseph.

Few dispute that social-networking platforms have had a growing influence on politics in recent years.

That’s not necessarily bad, Jamieson said in a Tuesday afternoon interview with the Times. Such platforms help people connect with each other, and help them aggregate political information.

But they also may foster a climate in which observers continually comment on political speeches or debates, without pausing to consider or digest what politicians are actually saying, Jamieson suggested. She questioned how this could affect “our capacity for thoughtful citizenship and reflective engagement.”
Politics also is being changed by the emergence of technology to individualize Internet advertising, Jamieson added. That could occur when advertisers use a person’s Internet-surfing history to tailor political emails or ads to that individual.

The result: Different voters hear different political messages — and perhaps, different promises. That’s not necessarily a problem if the claims are accurate — but could be if they’re not, Jamieson said.

“Nothing in the media structure is set to capture these messages, to provide a forum to debunk them,” Jamieson said.

Jamieson also stressed the importance of educating high school students on civics — and on how to distinguish when a politician is telling the truth or when they’re fibbing. Increasing emphasis on core subjects like math and reading mustn’t displace such education, Jamieson said.

“It’s also important,” she said, “that we haven’t crowded an understanding of civics out of our curriculum.”

Denis McDonough

2011-02-15T12:26:00.002-06:00

Denis McDonough is the National Security Council's chief of staff and one of President Obama's closest advisers. Mr. McDonough is reportedly so close to the president that colleagues — even his superiors — often do not make a major move without first checking with him.

Mr. McDonough is well known for picking up the phone to take people to task, from reporters to Washington talking heads to other Obama officials who go off message. He has berated some of the Democratic Party's most distinguished foreign policy dignitaries when they have dared to critique Mr. Obama publicly.

Mr. McDonough began his Capitol Hill career as an aide to the House International Relations Committee, where he focused on Latin America. He went on to work for Tom Daschle, the former South Dakota senator and former Senate majority leader, rising to senior foreign policy adviser, and became legislative director for Senator Ken Salazar of Colorado after Mr. Daschle's re-election defeat. He was then a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, a Democratic-leaning policy organization, before joining the Obama campaign.

During the campaign, Mr. McDonough took on the role of Mr. Obama's foreign policy guru. He helped synthesize the contributions of some 300 foreign policy advisers, divided into teams based on regions and issues, to assist Mr. Obama in formulating and articulating his foreign policy. Mr. McDonough was often dispatched to brief reporters about Mr. Obama's positions.

His work during the campaign sealed his role as Mr. Obama's most trusted foreign policy aide in the White House.

He was born Dec. 2, 1969, in Stillwater, Minn. He graduated from St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn., and has a master's from Georgetown University.

Parker Rosen, LLC Announces Mark Kennedy as Senior Strategic Adviser

2011-02-08T12:18:00.000-06:00

January 14, 2011 11:22 AM Eastern Time
Parker Rosen, LLC Announces Mark Kennedy as Senior Strategic Adviser
Former Congressman Adds Depth to the Firm’s International Public Affairs Practice
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Minneapolis-based law firm Parker Rosen, LLC, (www.parkerrosen.com), announced today the addition of Mark Kennedy as a Senior Strategic Adviser. Kennedy brings a broad background in business, public service and global initiatives to his role at Parker Rosen, a firm well known for its involvement in Minnesota politics, civic activities and public affairs in addition to its winning tradition in the courtroom representing local, national and international business clients.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Parker Rosen,” says Kennedy. “I’ve long admired the wise counsel and winning results of the firm, its commitment to its clients and its active involvement in bringing people together through its community and public affairs work.”
In his role at Parker Rosen, Kennedy will focus his practice on assisting clients with global public affairs strategy and international conflict resolution matters. Kennedy is also Chief Executive Officer of Chartwell Strategic Advisors, LLC where he applies his experience in both business and government to help clients achieve success in the increasingly globalized and competitive world.
According to Parker Rosen Co-founder, Andrew Parker, “Mark shares our belief that law firms must be focused on results and that achieving results requires expert advice. Mark’s experience in global business and government will help Parker Rosen continue to achieve the results that our clients need and expect in the ever-evolving environment of business and the law.”
Prior to joining Parker Rosen and forming Chartwell Strategic Advisors, Kennedy was in a global role with Accenture, a leading management consulting firm. He represented Minnesota in the United States House of Representatives for three terms from 2001 through 2007. Kennedy also served as a Presidential appointee to the Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiation under both Presidents Bush and Obama (2007 – 2010). Prior to his service in Congress, Kennedy held leadership roles with some of the area’s largest employers, including Pillsbury, Macy’s and ShopKo (then a subsidiary of SUPERVALU). Trained as a Certified Public Accountant, Kennedy was recognized by Institutional Investor in a feature on America’s Top CFOs.
An active speaker, Kennedy has also founded or co-founded three lecture series: the Minnesota Rough Riders, the Frontiers of Freedom Lecture Series at St. John’s University and the Economic Club of Minnesota (www.ecomn.org). He will continue to speak before civic, government, student and business groups in his role at Parker Rosen.
Kennedy is a graduate of St. John’s University and received his Master’s in Business Administration with distinction from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. He and his wife, Debbie, live in Watertown, Minnesota.
Parker Rosen, LLC (www.parkerrosen.com) is a Minneapolis-based law firm that represents select major corporations, small businesses, and other private and institutional clients in complex civil and commercial litigation, labor and employment litigation and investigations, eminent domain, real estate, and land use law, appellate advocacy, education law and, international law and public affairs. The firm looks to make a difference – in legal matters within the Twin Cities market and throughout the world – by bringing people with diverse backgrounds together to build a unified community.

DeLand column: Is there economic logic to a stadium?

2011-01-27T12:05:00.000-06:00

DeLand column: Is there
economic logic to a stadium?

January 23, 2011

When Joe Friedrich looks at the issue from a
professional standpoint, it doesn’t make a whole lot
of sense.

What would be the financial benefit to Minnesota
taxpayers of paying for the majority of a new
stadium for the Minnesota Vikings? The economist
in Friedrich will tell you there really is none.

“Economists — except for those who have a vested
interest — pretty much cannot really find a
benefit/cost analysis to support a publicly financed
stadium, to the state or the government interest that
pays for it,” said Friedrich, a St. Cloud resident and
professor emeritus of economics at St. John’s
University and the College of St. Benedict (he retired
18 months ago).

“On the standpoint of strictly economic costs to the
state, I literally can’t find a study that comes up with
a positive return.”

But when Joe Friedrich the native Minnesotan or Joe
Friedrich the lifelong sports fan looks at the same
issue ... well, it’s not so cut-and-dried.

“The Vikings certainly add a lot of excitement,”
Friedrich said. “They do contribute to the spirit of
the state. Think of yourself and all the other people
for whom it’s a very real part of their life.”

Central Minnesotans who stand on divergent sides
of this issue will have the opportunity to talk about
it with Friedrich and others on Thursday.

The Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and
Civic Engagement is hosting a discussion titled “
Your Taxes & Sports Stadiums: The Minnesota
Vikings” as part of its Politics & A Pint series.

The forum begins at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Brother
Willie’s Pub in Sexton Commons on the SJU campus,
and the public is invited to hear Friedrich’s
economic insights on the issue.

“I’m just going to give 5-10 minutes of the ‘this is
the economic cost/benefit’ reality,” Friedrich said.
“I’m sure there’ll be a bunch of people there with
assertions. I intend to mostly ask questions back.”
The stadium issue is one that generates a lot of
emotions and a lot of passion, one way or the other.
However, economists aren’t supposed to operate on
emotion: They’re supposed to work with facts.

And according to Friedrich and other economists,
paying for a stadium doesn’t make much financial
sense to the general public. The return on other
investments — like, say, pre-kindergarten education
— is much higher.

But that doesn’t get you a football team ...

“There’s a lot of other reasons why you might want
to build a stadium,” Friedrich said. “But if you were t
alking strictly dollar-and-cents type of arguments, I
think the case is pretty clear that publicly financed
stadiums cost the public more than they benefit.

“It’s not just the Vikings — it’s just about
everybody. That’s the reason I said I couldn’t find
an economist who had a different opinion who was
an independent. (You’d have to) tell a story that’s
not false, but doesn’t tell the whole story.”

Does a new Vikings stadium make sense in other
respects? That question will be tossed around on
Thursday, and it’ll have to be answered before the
state legislature moves forward on this issue.

“The bottom line here is the state of Minnesota is
hardly in a position to be taking on too many
endeavors right now,” Friedrich said. “The
opportunity cost of a new Vikings stadium is
significant.”

In economist lingo, “opportunity cost” is what you
give up to get something else. And with a looming
$6.2 billion state budget deficit, that’s an issue.

On the other hand, Friedrich — a lifelong sports fan
— understands other viewpoints.

“I’m the kind of sports fan who in 1954 picked the
closest (major league) team to Minnesota — the
Milwaukee Braves — and has kept the Milwaukee
Braves as his team through their transfer to Atlanta,”
he said. “My favorite football team was the Baltimore
Colts — and they of course moved.”

Stadium proponents would argue that without a new
stadium, the Vikings eventually will do the same
thing.

“You try to ascertain from people, in a way that’s
truthful, how much they would pay for that benefit.
If there wasn’t the sport here, how much would you
pay to have that benefit?” Friedrich said.

“It’s environmental economics — what are the
amenity values? It’s really hard to do. But there are
methods in economics that do some of the
benefit/cost analysis.”

Proponents also tout the economic stimulus —
7,500 on-site construction jobs, by the Vikings’
estimate — that building a new stadium would
provide, and Friedrich says that might have some
value.

“Now is probably the best time,” he said. “If you had
7,500 workers you had to get away from other
construction sites, and if you had to buy concrete
away from other sites, that would bid up the price.
But right now, it’s likely there’s a lot of excess
supply in the construction industry. There is a small
gain.

“But if you spend $900 million for a domed stadium,
how much of that is really additional and how much
is just workers moving from one site to another?”

Whether public financing for a new Vikings stadium
makes economic sense or not, it’s Friedrich’s
opinion that it eventually will happen.

“I think when push comes to shove, something will
be worked out,” Friedrich said. “They’ll cobble
together a set of taxes and fee charges that fall on
people that use the facility.

“‘Use’ can be a very vague word. What they’ll try to
say is people who get the benefit from this stadium
should pay for it.

“I think at the end of the day, a stadium will be
constructed that will somehow be funded — at least
orally — by those who benefit from it. Of course,
there’ll be infrastructure expenses.”

Even if that doesn’t happen, and the Vikings do
leave Minnesota, Friedrich’s economic background
tells him the state would survive without them.

“Sid Hartman once commented that without the
Vikings, Minneapolis would be a cold Omaha,”
Friedrich said. “Well, Omaha was just listed as one
of the 10 best places in the world to live.”

But most Minnesotans would prefer that the Vikings
stayed. And not everybody uses everything that the
state government pays for.

“That’s why we tax people — everybody can say,
‘Oh, that doesn’t mean anything to me’,” Friedrich
said. “There are things in life that are not really
easily translated into dollars and cents.”

When an economist says that, you can take it to the
bank.

This is the opinion of Times sports editor Dave
DeLand. Contact him at 255-8771 or by e-mail at
ddeland@stcloudtimes.com.

The Conversation: Four Myths About the Constitution

2011-01-27T10:55:00.004-06:00

James Read, Joseph P. Farry Professor of Political Science at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University has an op-ed column on the Constitution in the Sacramento Bee forum section (Sunday January 23). The title is “Four Myths About the Constitution,” co-authored with Alan Gibson of California State University – Chico, who is a scholar of the political thought of the Founding era. In the column both authors use the new House Republicans’ ceremonial reading of the Constitution to challenge several myths about the Constitution and its history. Follow the linked title of this post to view the article.