Friday, April 26, 2013
Grace Miller's artwork will represent Minnesota's Fifth District in a yearlong exhibit at the U.S. Capitol. Another Southwest High School student, Marissa Nicol, placed third.
Two Southwest High School students were among the top three in An Artistic Discovery, the annual Congressional Art Competition among students in Minnesota's Fifth Congressional District. A Shadow's Offering by Southwest sophomore Grace Miller placed first and will hang on exhibit at the U.S. Capitol for one year. liya Tourville of Fridley High School placed second and Marissa Nicol, also from Southwest High School, placed third. See a gallery of photos from the annual Arts Education Forum and awards reception on Tuesday.
Monday, April 22, 2013
The Fifth District Congressman is one of 24 members of the House and Senate concerned about the health and environmental effects of mining in Appalachia.
On Earth Day, April 22, Rep. Keith Ellison was listed in a story in The Nation about co-sponsors of a bill "to protect Appalachian families and communities from mountaintop removal." Ellison is one of 24 House and Senate members who support the Appalachian Community Health Emergency Act. According to a thenation.com story, "Preliminary laboratory tests, using air samples from areas where people are living in Appalachia, show mountaintop removal mining dust kills heart cells and impairs vascular function." *** On Sunday, Ellison tweeted: 1978–2011, CEO pay grew more than 725%, more than stock market & more than annual pay of private-sector worker, which grew 5.7% What do you think about the Appalachian Community Health Emergency Act and …
Thursday, April 18, 2013
He said the tax would help the poor and discourage harmful speculation.
Rep. Keith Ellison is trying again to introduce a tax on stocks, bonds, derivatives and other investments in order to help low- and moderate-income families, according to a news release from the 5th District congressman. “A lot of people in Washington like to talk about reducing the debt and deficits. Well if you really care about reducing the deficit, how about asking Wall Street speculators to pay their fair share?” a news release quoted Ellison. “This bill will add a tax of a fraction of a percent on transactions made by the same Wall Street firms and stock traders who crashed our economy in 2008. This tax alone will generate up to $300 billion a year in revenue, stabilizing the deficit and allowing us to invest in the things that …
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Vic Edgerton will start with Ellison’s office in Washington, DC, April 24.
Nearly two weeks after Rep. Keith Ellison announced a new district director, the 5th District congressman has named his new legislative director. Vic Edgerton, who was Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s chief of staff for the past three years, will join Ellison’s office April 24, his office announced Tuesday. He replaces Jamie Long, who will be moving to Minnesota to become district director at the end of the month. Long replaces current District Director Will Hailer, who’s leaving to become executive director of the Texas Democrat Party on April 26. Ellison said he’s happy to have Edgerton coming on board. “I am proud to have Vic lead a legislative team that is responsive to the needs of Minnesota’s 5th District and our nation,” a news release …
Monday, April 15, 2013
The 5th District congressman is the first endorsement the fallen New York representative has received.
Rep. Keith Ellison on Thursday became the first person to endorse former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner for New York City mayor. Ellison offered an unsolicited endorsement of Weiner when Bill Press asked him about Weiner on Current TV's Bill Press Show. Weiner was a New York congressman from 1999 until 2011. He resigned in disgrace after he was found to have sent a lewd photo to a 21-year-old female college student. Weiner initially denied that he had done that and suggested that someone had hacked into his account. He said last week that he's considering a run for New York mayor. In Thursday’s interview, Ellison said that “nobody here is perfect” and that Weiner “was a great congressman.” "Anthony is a good guy in my opinion." Ellison said…
Friday, April 12, 2013
The 5th District congressman said a House bill passed Friday is a Republican attempt to ‘tip the scales further towards wealthy corporations.’
Rep. Keith Ellison quickly condemned a party-line vote Friday to conditionally shut down the National Labor Relations Board because of a fight over whether President Barack Obama legally appointed three members of the board. Obama appointed the board members while the Senate was in recess—an attempt to circumvent the requirement that the Senate approve presidential nominations. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that Obama violated the law, and an appeal to the Supreme Court is expected. Republicans accuse Obama of trying to pack the board with his own picks, but Ellison said the bill that the Republican-controlled House passed is another attack on working families. Here’s the 5th District congressman’s full statement: In…
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Rep. Tim Walz's 'Hermann the Germann Hotdish' won this year’s competition.
Fifth District Rep. Keith Ellison struck out yet again in the Third Annual Minnesota Delegation Hotdish Competition. Rep. Tim Walz's "Hermann the Germann Hotdish" won this year’s friendly “friendly, bipartisan, and bicameral ‘Hot Dish Off.’” The competition between Minnesota’s congressional delegation started in 2011 as a way to celebrate Minnesota before the session started. This year, Ellison entered a “Juicy Lucy Hotdish.” Sen. Al Franken cooked “Willmar Stew,” while Sen. Amy Klobuchar prepared “Hormel ‘I Can't Believe It's Not SPAM’ Pepperoni Pizza Hotdish” Check out the recipes from Ellison, Walz, Franken and Klobuchar below. Click here for recipes from all 10 of Minnesota’s legislators. Past winners *** Bring a pot of water to a boil…
The 5th District congressman said it puts unfair burdens on poor seniors and veterans.
Rep. Keith Ellison took his fight against chained CPI to MSNBC on Wednesday, criticizing the president’s plan to use the new inflation formula as a way to compromise with Republicans and resolve a budget impasse. The so-called “chained consumer price index” would grow Social Security benefits at a slower rate than they grow under the current formula. The 5th District congressman argues that it amounts to a cut in benefits. “The fact is the president is someone who I support and campaigned hard for. But it is not about the president,” Ellison said on MSNBC's NewsNation with Tamron Hall. “It is really about … low-income seniors struggling to get by on $12,000 a year. It’s about a person, a veteran, it is about Americans who depend upon a …
Monday, April 8, 2013
The 5th District congressman is also calling for the firing of acting Federal Housing Finance Agency director Ed DeMarco.
Rep. Keith Ellison is urging voters to step up pressure on legislators over the use of drones. The 5th District congressman hosted a forum with about 120 people Wednesday in North Minneapolis to discuss the ethical implications of drone strikes and surveillance, according to Minnesota Public Radio. MPR quoted Ellison as saying: If we weren't talking about technology, we're just soldiers on the ground walking around with M16s. People who get hit by drones -- just a flash and boom, and it's all over. Ellison Calls for Federal Housing Finance Agency Director’s Firing During a rally to support Golden Valley homeowner Rose McGee’s fight against foreclosure, Ellison called for the firing of acting Federal Housing Finance Agency director Ed …
Friday, April 5, 2013
‘Republicans have been trying to dismantle Social Security ever since President Roosevelt proposed it during the Great Depression. We should not try to bargain for their good will,’ his statement said.
Rep. Keith Ellison is criticizing reports that President Barack Obama’s budget will include a proposal to change the way inflation is calculated for federal benefits. The new formula is a so-called “chained consumer price index” that would grow Social Security benefits at a slower rate than they grow under the current formula. The 5th District congressman argues that it amounts to a cut in benefits. In a statement released Friday, Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chairmen Ellison and Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) said: Republicans have been trying to dismantle Social Security ever since President Roosevelt proposed it during the Great Depression. We should not try to bargain for their good will with policies that hurt our seniors, …
Nancy E Gertner
12:56 pm on Thursday, May 2, 2013
Your article fails to tie together the tweet on CEO pay with the Appalachian health issue. Those of us that have studied a little geography know that Appalachia is not in MN5, but I have driven through West Virginia, and gotten off the interstate highway to look at a "restored" mountain top. I have also seen the documentary on "The Last Mountain," which gave me an appreciation of what miners and … more ›