Jeers to the Republican majority in Congress for picking on those least able to defend themselves -- children -- when cutting $40 billion over five years from the national budget.
Becker County Human Services expects to lose nearly $500,000 in money needed to protect children and keep them out of poverty.
Why pick on the neediest? How about a windfall oil tax? The oil companies are rolling in money right now -- let them give some back.
Or how about restoring the tax brackets to what they were during the Clinton years? Better for the wealthy to cut back on luxuries than to abandon kids on Medicaid to abusive families, or abandon families to poverty because they can't get help collecting child support.
House Republicans, in particular, seem to have very skewed priorities.
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Mahatma Gandhi said, "A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members."
America is greater than this.
Cheers to St. Mary's Auxiliary, which donated more than $30,000 to St. Mary's Regional Health Center Foundation last year.
The money has purchased equipment including two blanket warmers, an AED defibrillator, an electronic blood pressure/oximeter monitor, a venoscope, a vascular doppler, a Stryker Gynnie stretcher, a Broda chair with pad, a central station screen and large recliner.
The auxiliary raised the money through fundraisers that included bake sales, book fairs and sales generated through St. Mary's Gift Shop.
Cheers to the volunteer tax preparers at Mahube Community Council.
Their work is especially important to low-income workers who often pay sky high interest rates (an average of 236 percent annual percentage rate) for "refund anticipation loans," according to Children's Defense Fund Minnesota.
Most of that money comes from the Earned Income Tax Credit, praised by President Ronald Reagan as the "best anti-poverty, best pro-family, the best job creation measure to come out of Congress."
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The free tax work done by Mahube senior volunteers is a step toward lifting working families and their children out of poverty, and circulating more dollars within the community.
