Hi, everyone!
I’m looking forward, as usual, to seeing all your smiling faces tomorrow.
The forecast says 70 degrees and sunny from 1-2 tomorrow, so another nice day for a rally.
Parking at Kohl’s
We have noticed Kohl’s has put up new “No Parking” signs, so someone at the store is getting concerned about us taking up parking their customers need.
Please be respectful of all the businesses in the area so as not to interfere with the ability of their customers to easily shop.
Better yet, make a point of doing some shopping while you’re in the area.
Chipotle is currently promoting their carne asada, which I think is amazing.
Pick up some groceries at Aldi’s.
I always get my coffee beans from that Starbucks.
McDonald’s Mocha Frappes are awesome.
And, of course, if you need clothes, head on over to Kohl’s.
Bring your signs in when you shop, so they know we’re spending money there. And save your receipts (more on that below 👇) so we can demonstrate our contribution to their bottom line.
Debi actually spoke to Kohl’s Chaska manager to raise her concerns. I plan to arrive early tomorrow to do some shopping at Kohl’s and chat with the manager as well.
Dedicated No Kings Day Page
I created a page dedicated to the next No Kings Day that I will update with additional information, as needed. If you want to give people the details about the next No Kings Day, share this page with them.
Community Connections Event
Community Connections is hosting its next gathering on Thursday, September 25th starting at 5:30 pm.
They plan to meet as a whole group to discuss their mission statement and then break into the following three groups:
Book Club: Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson
Community Building: Discussion on how to talk to people around our values and grow our group.
Take Action: Conversation around groups they are involved with, what they are doing, and what more they can do.
They will also have a box for people to share their ideas as well as opportunities to sign up for small group participation.
Register here or just show up at the Chanhassen Library in the Wilder Room at 5:30 pm. on September 25th.
Economic Pain
I’ve been thinking about where the economy is headed under the administration’s disastrous policies.
The tariffs are absolutely killing Minnesota farmers.
A 2020 report by the Minnesota AgriGrowth Council estimated the agriculture sector contributed 10% of the overall value of the state’s economy and 10% of our state’s jobs. Soybeans make up 33% of Minnesota’s crop output [PDF].
According to the American Soybean Association, “China is the top buyer of U.S. soybeans by a staggering margin. In MY (Marketing Year) 2023/24, the U.S. shipped nearly 25 MMT (Million Metric Tons) of soybeans to China while a mere 4.9 MMT of U.S. soybeans were exported to the European Union. The second largest buyer of U.S. soybeans can barely buy one fifth of China’s soybean purchases.”
China currently has zero new crop export orders for U.S. soybeans on the books for MY 2025/26.
Here’s a Missouri farmer voicing his opinion of trump and his tariffs.
So that’s doing a number on our state’s economy.
Price Shock is Coming
The real pain of the tariffs have yet to really hit Americans in their pocketbooks because businesses beefed up their inventory before the tariffs were imposed and have been eating most of the additional costs.
That is going to end and we’ll probably see it in rising prices just as we’re doing our holiday shopping.
The Star Tribune has an excellent article illustrating how trump’s tariffs are hurting Minnesota consumers and business owners alike.
Also consider how trump’s mass deportation of immigrants is going to affect what you pay at the grocery store. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, approximately 70% of workers in the U.S. farm sector are foreign-born.
Seventy percent.
Who’s going to pick the strawberries and cherries and vegetables? Americans don’t want to do that.
I’m expecting produce prices to go through the roof.
Do More: Save Your Receipts
People who don’t pay as close attention to the news as we do, will start to notice.
And we can help them understand who is to blame.
Start saving your grocery and restaurant receipts, your energy bills, your home improvement projects.
We can document before and after prices and turn that into a story that points directly at the trump regime.
Text Scam
I don’t know about you, but I get a lot of text messages that are clearly scams. The Star Tribune is reporting about a text message scam that is purporting to come from the Minnesota Department of Revenue, claiming that “your refund request has been processed and approved” in an attempt to obtain banking information.
I happened to get the very same scam:
