The Theater of Public Policy

Listen to the very first episode of "Housing Values" a new podcast from The Theater of Public Policy all about the affordable housing conversation! Our first guest is Ryan Allen, Associate Professor of Community and Economic Development in the Urban Affairs and Regional Planning Department of the University of Minnesota. Learn more at http://www.t2p2.net/housing-values

Zach Johnson is a fifth generation Minnesota farmer. The industry obviously looks much different than it did when his great, great grandfather was working the land. Yet there are very modern challenges as well, like a precarious trade situation and landscape impacted by climate change. We asked Johnson all about this, and how he finds time to maintain a YouTube channel while harvesting his crops.

Should gender equity be written into Minnesota law? For decades, advocates have been pushing for just that, and earlier this year they got a major win when the Minnesota House voted to put an Equal Rights Amendment in front of voters in 2020. Is this the time for the ERA in Minnesota? We asked Betty Folliard, founder of ERA Minnesota. (Hint: she says yes!)

Who oversees police and public safety across the state of Minnesota? It’s former Metro Transit and St. Paul police chief John Harrington! Needless to say, Harrington has goals to diversify police departments across the state and improve police community relations.

It’s a show with tools you can use in your next family dinner table debate! “De-escalation” is a way of approaching a potential conflict in a way that tries to lower the temperature instead of heightening it. Russ Turner, one of the state’s leading trainers in this methodology, joined us and talk us through how “de-escalation” works and how we can use it in our lives!

Our quest to have all of Minnesota’s statewide elected officials on the show takes a big step forward as we welcome Minnesota State Auditor Julie Blaha. Her office looks for corruption and waste in city and regional governments across the state. She undoubtedly had lots of great stories of ways Minnesota cities spend money in “interesting” ways.

The Twin Cities has a strong business sector, yet has huge disparities between the number of white and people-of-color owned businesses. Tawanna Black is working to change that, to make Minnesota’s economy inclusive for everyone. We asked her why this is so important for all Minnesotans.  

The University of Minnesota has a new president. It’s a 24/7 job, overseeing five campuses serving 10,000s of students, and touching every part of the state. As Joan Gabel settles into the new job, she faced her greatest challenge yet, being a guest on our show.

The Guardian UK's Parliamentary Sketch Writer, John Crace joined us for a night of Brexit talk and improv comedy! The United Kingdom is slated to leave the European Union on Oct. 31st, but the process is already on it's third Prime Minister. Will the UK and the EU face a no-deal Brexit or does newly elected Prime Minister have some tricks up his sleeve? Can they iron things out in time or should we start stockpiling Cadbury chocolate?

Learn about the history of the Mississippi river with John Anfinson, Superintendent at Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. There are few people alive that know this stretch of the river better than John. Time machines don’t exist, but John is the next best thing.

One year ago, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter joined us on The Theater of Public Policy in the early days of his term. Now more than a year and a half in, he joined us once again to discuss how the issues he campaigned on are working out in office. We asked him about the city’s new comprehensive plan, city efforts on early childhood education, and what the heck is the deal with trash collection in St. Paul. Seriously, what’s the deal with that?

In Minnesota, the DNR Commissioner oversees everything form lakes and trails, to hunting and fishing, and even has a say in mining projects in the state. New DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen is a former mayor and assistant DNR commissioner with a reputation for getting things done. She is also the first woman to hold the position. We asked her about her job overseeing Minnesota’s natural resources, and what kind of bait to use for catching Walleye.

The Pioneer Press is one of Minnesota’s oldest newspapers. Just a few years ago, it was purchased by a hedge fund that has made major cuts to their newsroom staff. Yet the paper is profitable and turning out a solid product day after day. What’s the future of St. Paul’s largest newspaper? What can readers do to preserve or strengthen it? We asked the Pioneer Press’s own, Dave Orrick.

Since the passage of Title IX, more women and girls have taken up sports of all kinds. But paradoxically, there are actually FEWER female coaches at the at the college level than before Title IX. Dr. Nicole LaVoi from the University of Minnesota’s Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport has dug into this complex issue, and compiles an annual report card on Women in College Coaching. She also studies how female athletes are portrayed in the media compared to their male counterparts. Assistant Women’s Soccer Coach of the University of St. Thomas Julie Lundquist also joined us to offer first hand perspectives. Editors Note: We had difficulty with the audio feed, so it sounds a bit washed out at times.

It’s summer, a time for planting and growing. But these days, many of the plants on farm fields and even in backyard gardens come from nearly identical genetic strains. The lack of genetic diversity in our crops should be a concern to anyone who eats food, according to our guest, Dr. James Bradeen of the UofM Department of Plant Pathology. We talked to him about how cultivating wild plants and investing in gene banks can help protect food systems from disease, insects and the effects of climate change.

Before school lets out for summer, meet Minnesota’s new Education Commissioner. A longtime teacher herself, Ricker has some big challenges in front of her, from closing one of the worst achievement gaps in the country to dealing with approximately sixty snow days this past winter.

Anyone who has ever loved a pet doesn’t need an improv comedy show to tell them that animals can make us better versions of ourselves. Yet a growing body of research is expanding our understanding of the science behind the human-animal connection. We spoke with three experts about how animals are used in therapy today and about the cutting edge of research in this field. Sarah Palm, Researcher, Nature Based Therapeutics at the University of Minnesota Colleen Crockford, Human-Animal Bond Social Worker with Crockford Consulting Dr. Tim Lewis, Professor at the University of St. Thomas

The Labor Movement helped build the middle class in the United States. Yet union membership has been declining for decades. Recent court decisions have raised new challenges and questions about labor’s future. Yet it still is an important bulwark for worker rights and in politics generally. How is the labor movement today and in Minnesota? What is its future?  Chelsie Glaubitz Gabiou and Javier Morillo-Alicea join us.

Imagine being the head coordinator for a region comprising seven counties and 188 different communities. Now imagine trying to those places to work together on everything from housing and land stewardship to transportation and energy. That’s new Metropolitan Council Chair Nora Slawik’s job.

MinnesotaCare is a health insurance program for those earning too much to qualify for Medicade but too little to afford insurance on the private market. For the past 27 years, it has been funded by a 2% assessment on licensed health care professionals. But that tax is set to sunset this year. Whether to renew the tax, replace it with something else, or scrap it all together is one of the hottest and wonkiest debates at the Minnesota Legislature this term.

Last year, former Metro Transit sergeant Dave Hutch unseated longtime Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, becoming the first openly gay sheriff in the Midwest. Sheriff Hutch has promised reform across the police department, from how inmates are treated in custody (including new procedures for trans inmates) to how it interacts with federal immigration agencies. Three months into the new job, we asked him how those reforms are going, what we can expect in the years ahead, and if he can do something about this parking ticket.

From transportation to housing, parks to waste water, the Hennepin County Board has a say in a myriad of issues that affect citizens’ daily lives. The Chair of the Hennepin County Board, Marion Greene, along with one of its newest members, Angela Conley, join us to help explain why county government matters. Together, the two represent all of South Minneapolis on the board, as well as part Northeast and St. Louis Park.

After six terms in U.S. House, Keith Ellison ran to be Minnesota’s Attorney General, and won. In his first few months in this new position, his office has joined a multi-state lawsuit against President Trump’s emergency border wall declaration, taken a special focus on wage theft in Minnesota, and made the office more public than it had been under his predecessor. What can we expect from him and the A.G. Office in the next three and a half years?

Talk of legalizing recreational marijuana burned brightly at the Minnesota Legislature early this session, then went out in a puff of smoke. But the debate’s not over. Activists and legislators argue marijuana legalization is about overturning a racially unjust system as much as its about freedom and liberty. We will talk with the author of the Senate bill that would have legalized recreational marijuana in Minnesota, as well as the head of the campaign for “Responsible Marijuana Legalization.”

A comedy quiz show based on Minnesota news for the week of February 22nd, 2019. Featuring host Tane Danger and guests Kelly Kohlbacher, Fred Cheng and Brandon Boat. Music by Keegan Fraley.

A comedy quiz show based on Minnesota news for the week of February 3, 2019. Featuring host Tane Danger and guests Kelly Kohlbacher, Heather Meyer and Jim Robinson. Music by Keegan Fraley.

A comedy quiz show based on Minnesota news for the week of January 27, 2019. Featuring host Tane Danger and guests Madde Gibba, Fred Cheng, and Shanan Custer. Music by Keegan Fraley.

A comedy quiz show based on Minnesota news for the week of January 20, 2019. Featuring host Tane Danger and guests Lorna Landvik, Joshua Will, and Brandon Boat.

A comedy quiz show based on Minnesota news for the week of January 13, 2019. Featuring host Tane Danger and guests Heather Meyer, Lorna Landvik and Joy Dolo. Music by Keegan Fraley.

In an era of climate change and political chaos, it’s easy to forget that sometimes disasters are averted. FiveThirtyEight Science writer Maggie Koerth-Baker has been looking at examples in history when humans either worked together to avoid an environmental calamity, or just got lucky. What’s the secret to not destroying the planet or ourselves?

Author Marlon James is internationally renowned for his epic novels and stories. What's his process? How does writing contrast with teaching writing? Can he give us a sneak peak of his upcoming new series? Listen to find out.

University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler has announced he will step down at the end of this academic year. The search was on for a new leader for Minnesota’s premier institution of higher learner. What do you look for in a University president? How do you find qualified applicants? Can anybody apply? We talked with search committee members Matt Kramer, Vice-President of University Relations of the UMN and Adbul Omari, Regent and chair of the search committee.

One of the most contentious policy debates in the state circles around whether or not Minnesota should permit more companies to develop new mines, particularly around the Boundary Waters. We have two well-informed guests with two very different ideas on how the state should proceed, Kevin Lee, Program Director, Senior Staff Attorney, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and Isaac Orr, Policy Fellow, Center of the American Experiment.

Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender is leading a new, more progressive city council. Meanwhile, a new comprehensive plan for the city called Minneapolis 2040 has lead to a war of yard signs. We asked her about that and when we can finally all get pet goats.

The Peabody Award-winning, In The Dark is one of the best examples of a new form of journalism: the investigative podcast. What goes into making an investigative podcast series? How does the medium change how the story is told? Can the producers give us a sneak peak at Season 3?

One in four people in the United States has a criminal record. FOUR in four Americans have done something in their past that had they been caught or in a different circumstance, would be criminal. The organization We Are All Criminals works to get people to think differently about what it means to be a criminal, our justice system, and how we treat one another.

Melvin Carter won a decisive victory in St. Paul’s mayoral against a number of strong opponents. In his first six months, he’s been faced with questions about increasing the number of police officers in the city, budgets to repair aging roads, and the third-rail of St. Paul politics, trash collection.

Who would have thought to have a pig deliver baseballs to umpires midgame? Or run a steamroller over a mountain of disco records? Or gets heralded as the funniest member of a trio that also includes Bill Murray? The answer is Mike Veeck, co-owner of the St. Paul Saints.

St. Paul is currently considering a proposal to raise its minimum wage. Is $15 an hour the right amount? Should tips count toward that $15 for restaurant workers? How quickly should the wage increase for different-sized businesses? Hear what city Councilwoman Rebecca Noecker and two members of the Citizen League’s minimum wage study committee are weighing as they try and come to a final proposal.    

Even in the land of the Church Basement Ladies, people’s relationships with faith institutions are changing. More Millennials are religiously unaffiliated than any previous generation. How and why are young people redefining the role of faith in their lives? What do these changes mean for religious institutions? Would it help to update the Old Testament with some well-placed hashtags?

Major road construction has slowed and rerouted traffic on a number of Twin Cities thoroughfares. Minnesota’s Commissioner of Transportation, Charlie Zelle, promises it will get better soon, with newer roads, more accessible bus options, and the groundwork for a self-driving future. We asked him how he made it through all the traffic to join us.

We’re ending our season with a show about endings. All of us (hopefully after a long and laugh-filled life) will pass on. Planning for our own or our loved one’s end of life can be intimidating, scary, and ultimately one of the most important ways to ensure a peaceful last chapter. We talked with two women, Brenda Hartman and Dr. Ann MacIntosh, working to change the culture of fear around end-of-life care and planning. A truly important conversation for us all–except maybe vampires.

From the massive tax policy changes passed late last year, to new tariffs on steel and aluminum imposed, and wild stock market swings, there hasn’t been any shortage of economic news in 2018. We talked with two brilliant (yet easily understandable) economists what to make of it all. Timothy Taylor is both a professor at Macalester College and the professor you hear if you take The Great Course’s lecture series on economics. Chris Farrell is a regular contributor to public radio’s Marketplace, the Bloomberg Business, and the most frequent guest of The Theater of Public Policy.

Most Minnesotans know Paul Douglas from his years presenting the weather on KARE 11, WCCO, and TPT as well as writing the weather column for the Star Tribune. As an evangelical Christian who recognizes the threats of climate change, Douglas often finds himself serving as a bridge between communities that don’t often talk to one another.

How do members of the GLBT community pass knowledge and perspective between generations? Unlike most minority groups, being born gay, bi, or trans does not necessarily mean you have gay, bi, or trans parents. We talked to Charlie Rounds, who organizes intergenerational GLBT roundtables, as well as Minneapolis council member Phillipe Cunningham, who at a relatively young age has already become a leader in the GLBT community and beyond.

Star Tribune journalist Maya Rao spent a year traveling across the North Dakota oil fields and boom towns. In her new book, she takes us to those towns that doubled or tripled in population in a matter of months, introduces us to migrant workers (mostly men) who came from near and far to work the oil fields, and what life was really like in the closest thing to a gold rush (and bust) in 21st Century America.

The 2018 Minnesota Legislative session was predicted to be a carousel of egos. With no budget to pass, divided government, and a lame duck governor, many thought it the session would accomplish little but providing elected officials a chance to position themselves for elections this fall. Yet a few hot topics, including guns and school safety, as well as disabled Minnesota robot named LARS, has garnered some attention at the capitol and beyond. We asked two of Minnesota’s best capitol reporters for an update and what watch for in the rest of the session.

After a grueling mayoral race, Minneapolis voters put Jacob Frey at the city’s helm. The campaign focused on housing affordability and access, community police relations, and wage and workplace reforms throughout the city. How is the new mayor tackling those issues and deciding priorities? Are weekly 10K runs now mandatory at City Hall?  

The routine civic exercise of casting a ballot roused new questions in voters following the 2016 election. Talk of Russian trolls, targeted social media marketing, and even hacking of voter rolls have many wondering if the very practice of our democracy is under threat. Sounds like great material for a comedy show. And we asked Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon about. Simon is responsible for overseeing elections throughout Minnesota. He's currently running for re-election to the office. 

Former George W. Bush White House ethics and University of Minnesota Law Professor Richard Painter announced in March that he is considering a run for the U.S. Senate. Will he? If so, would he as a republican, a democrat, or an independent? Why would anyone want to leave Minnesota to go to Washington D.C. anyway? We asked him.

Changes in the grocery store market are nothing new in Minnesota–ask any former Red Owl customers. The recent pace of those changes have a lot of people wondering about the future of grocery stores in the Twin Cities. By buying Whole Foods, will Amazon dominate the market? Can Target make it in the groceries business? Why’s everyone so excited about Hy-Vee? We talked with Dan DeBaun, Retail and Restaurant Reporter, Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal