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Eric Paul Jacobsen

West Saint Paul, MN
Commenter for
4 years 31 weeks

Recent Comments

Posted on 05/20/13 at 11:49 pm in response to House approves disputed unionization bill with no votes to spare

There should be nothing controversial when workers who are among the poorest paid organize to win better pay and working conditions. Child-care workers do some of the most important work there is, and they are paid and respected much less than they deserve to be.

Small businesses will benefit when low-income people are paid more money. Why? Because when the poorest people get a raise, they spend it locally, and this benefits businesses of all sizes. Distributing money to people...

Posted on 05/21/13 at 11:13 am in response to House approves disputed unionization bill with no votes to spare

Undoubtedly, there are some workers who are paid more poorly and respected less than daycare providers. Migrant farm workers come to mind. But this is not an argument against unionization generally. Unionize the daycare workers, and unionize the farm workers, too. And the home health care workers, while we're at it. Where is it written that unionizing in one place means we can't unionize others? I'm sorry if, by arguing that daycare providers deserve to be represented by a union, I...

Posted on 05/18/13 at 09:02 am in response to Ranked-choice voting: Minneapolis data show people use it with sophistication

'University of Minnesota Professor Larry Jacobs is quoted as saying “the idea that voters are going to have a detailed understanding of a number of candidates, that they’re going to be able to rank them, exceeds any research I’ve ever seen about voter knowledge.” He calls the idea that more than a quarter or third of voters will rank multiple candidates “just unrealistic.”'

There's a problem with this line of reasoning. Quite a lot of people with an entirely adequate and "detailed...

Posted on 05/12/13 at 04:17 pm in response to Keep the integrity of Minnesota's high-school diploma

I can agree with Ilya Gutman about one thing: We should "create two paths to graduation with different diplomas: those bound and ready for college and those who are not, while allowing teachers to make a distinction." Yes, we should.

But we must not do this in isolation. We must also remove the stigma that we have placed upon hard but necessary work, work that those of us with easier and better-paying jobs choose to pay extremely poorly, with no justification other than that we have...

Posted on 04/27/13 at 10:24 am in response to Church's rhetoric does not reflect changes to Safe and Supportive Schools Act

Thank you, Representative Davnie, for this informative article. It is a good example of truth in advocacy. Now I would like the Minnesota Catholic Conference to respond with truth in opposition – or better yet, to abandon its opposition to the Safe and Supportive Schools Act.

Posted on 04/25/13 at 02:46 pm in response to Political speeches: Why all the lengthy rhetoric even when they know they’ll lose?

I don't expect legislators to persuade their colleagues to vote differently, and I don't mind. Legislators aren't supposed to represent each other, anyway; they're supposed to represent their constituents. We are the ones who should be doing the persuading.

Nonetheless, I believe speeches have their place in our legislative process. I have often wished that legislators would justify their votes, either for or against proposed legislation, with fact-based and well-reasoned...

Posted on 04/25/13 at 11:32 pm in response to Legislators should rethink costly renewable-energy mandates

that Minnesota is both windier and sunnier than Germany. Both wind energy and solar energy have better prospects here than in Western Europe.

Posted on 02/13/13 at 09:42 am in response to Conservative think tank agrees with sales tax expansion

why conservatives would support a sales tax increase, especially as an alternative to an income-tax increase.

What I don't understand is why so many Democrats now promote new sales taxes and so few voices speak critically about them. There's a social-justice issue here. Unless you're careful to tax only luxury items, sales taxes are regressive; they burden lower-income people more than the middle class or the rich. Income taxes, in contrast, are progressive and can be progressively...

Posted on 01/19/13 at 11:15 am in response to The psychological — and deeply American — roots of conspiracy theories

probably contributes a lot to conspiracy theory thinking. I believe stronger public media (such as a US-American equivalent of the BBC) would more effectively debunk conspiracy theories and reduce their popular appeal.

When the purpose of programming is merely to hold viewers' or listeners' attention through the commercials, it always makes good market sense to promote sensational claims rather than show how little evidence there really is for them. Our commercial media do a great...

Posted on 01/06/13 at 05:12 pm in response to Regulating guns like cars: Perspective on the gun debate after Sandy Hook

Senator Marty's proposals are excellent. I see in them no threat whatsoever to the right of responsible people to defend themselves. I observe that nobody else can see any threat, either, except by appealing to heroic fantasies and hypothetical fears.

These fears and fantasies are propagated by unscrupulous gun sellers who have long understood that nothing sells guns faster than paranoia. Simply prescribe more guns as the solution to gun violence, and the more people get shot, the...