How are Donald Trump and the News Tribune Editors similar?

In the first case: the US has suffered at least four straight climate crises, the fires out west and Hurricanes pounding Huston, Florida and Puerto Rico. Meanwhile, President Trump’s EPA shill says its not the right time to talk about climate change while all Trump wants to talk about is the NFL firing the “SOB’s” who protest the mistreatment of other Americans.

In the second case: Duluth’s local property taxes spent in the classroom has dived from $14 million annually twenty years ago to $2.5 million this year but all the Trib wants is to harp on is the “ugly” past they trumped up when five discredited school board members ginned up a phony case against a colleague who simply asked the tough questions they AND THE TRIBUNE didn’t want answered.

And here’s a confession on my part.

I started this campaign thinking I should stop defending Art Johnston so loudly since the Trib has managed to convince a lot of my neighbors in eastern Duluth that Art is not only a problem but THE PROBLEM! How cheap of me. I claim on my lawnsigns that “Honesty is the best policy.” Denying Art is a little like Peter denying Jesus.

I began to rectify that in one of the campaign pieces I am handing out now. If the Trib was doing its work all Duluth should know by now that our School District actively redistributes state funds given to us for our poorer children and spends it in our eastern schools where poverty not such a problem. So, on my literature I wrote: “No one has worked harder than Art Johnston to point out the exodus of Denfeld students and the growing achievement gap. We need more than cheerleaders. We need Board members with a keen financial sense who understand that a divided Duluth is a threat to the whole city.”

I know Art can be forceful. People who make a difference often are. He once made me so mad that when he first ran for the school board I told him that I hoped he would win because I knew it would be the worst experience of his life. Can I call em? His public data requests have been denied. Judy Seliga-Punyko called the police to arrest him, then he was accused of assault, racism, conflict of interest and Rosie Loeffler-Kemp told KBJR he was dangerous. Then Art was forced to defend the election he won by spending $75,000 on lawyers to remain on the School Board. When his “colleagues” failed utterly at that they censured him and for good measure they censured me. Now the Trib calls us “ugly.”

Milquetoasts let the Jews get carted off to concentrations camps. Art is not a milquetoast. He is a man of honor and integrity. Its been tough being his defender but I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror if I didn’t stick up for him.

That’s not a problem for the editors of the Duluth News Tribune. I wonder if they see anything when they look into theirs?

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