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participatory democracy
Feb. 14th, 2008 03:54 pmI didn't caucus this year, but I did go to Arts Advocacy Day at the capitol today to meet my legislators to urge them to pass the sales tax dedication to support arts, culture, and the environment. (More about what this is and why it's important here: http://mncitizensforthearts.org/news/current-legislation/ )
For one of the first times in its history, Arts Advocacy Day actually intersected with the day the legislation we were supporting was being presented to the House and Senate. This was pretty exciting. MCA's lobbyist said that so often, these decisions wrap up at 2am when no one is around to either commiserate with or to high-five. Today, there would be hundreds of us. I got to see some discussion and the first vote from the House gallery, which was really cool. I remember visiting and seeing the building when I was in grade school, but I'd never actually watched session in progress, let alone see a vote happen. I was surprised, I was expecting the discussion to go on for hours after I left, but all of a sudden there was no more talking, the speaker called for a vote, and the board indicating all the representatives decision lit up. When it passed, the gallery full of arts advocates all applauded and cheered.
I left after that, but heard that the Senate vote also passed a little after 1pm as well.
My coworker went to the party afterwards, and said it was fun to see all the arts advocates partying alongside all the hunter/fisher advocates in their blaze orange. Apparently some press calls the arts advocates the "indoorsmen" and the hunters the "outdoorsmen".
SO, I'm asking all you MN people now and I'll ask you again in November to please vote yes on this when it shows up on your ballot. The sales tax increase is wee (3/8ths of 1 percent- about 4 cents for every $10) and it will guarantee stable arts and conservation/natural resource protection funding in the state for the next 25 years. It would effectively triple arts funding, bringing us back to where we were before Pawlenty slashed it so dramatically a few years ago.
Okay! Off the soapbox!
Happy VD, y'all.
For one of the first times in its history, Arts Advocacy Day actually intersected with the day the legislation we were supporting was being presented to the House and Senate. This was pretty exciting. MCA's lobbyist said that so often, these decisions wrap up at 2am when no one is around to either commiserate with or to high-five. Today, there would be hundreds of us. I got to see some discussion and the first vote from the House gallery, which was really cool. I remember visiting and seeing the building when I was in grade school, but I'd never actually watched session in progress, let alone see a vote happen. I was surprised, I was expecting the discussion to go on for hours after I left, but all of a sudden there was no more talking, the speaker called for a vote, and the board indicating all the representatives decision lit up. When it passed, the gallery full of arts advocates all applauded and cheered.
I left after that, but heard that the Senate vote also passed a little after 1pm as well.
My coworker went to the party afterwards, and said it was fun to see all the arts advocates partying alongside all the hunter/fisher advocates in their blaze orange. Apparently some press calls the arts advocates the "indoorsmen" and the hunters the "outdoorsmen".
SO, I'm asking all you MN people now and I'll ask you again in November to please vote yes on this when it shows up on your ballot. The sales tax increase is wee (3/8ths of 1 percent- about 4 cents for every $10) and it will guarantee stable arts and conservation/natural resource protection funding in the state for the next 25 years. It would effectively triple arts funding, bringing us back to where we were before Pawlenty slashed it so dramatically a few years ago.
Okay! Off the soapbox!
Happy VD, y'all.
