Notes from our November meeting

Indivisible Notes November 11, 2019 Monticello VFW

6:30 Networking/Meal 7:00 pm Meeting

1. Sue called meeting to order at 7:03 with 90 second sharing.

2. Sue welcomed the veterans and thanked them for their service.

3. John introduced new member Darlene Greer from Maple Lake area.

4. Sue reminded people about phone banking at John and Karen Dietering’s home on Thursday, Nov. 21 from 6:00-8:00. Bring laptop or Smart phone.

5. We discussed and decided to come to the VFW at 6:30 each month to discuss the content of the previous meeting as well as any other major concerns.

6. Light Brigade with the LED Panels sign that reads IMPEACH is scheduled for Monticello overpass on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 5:45 am to 7:15, then on to breakfast at Perkins. This is a legal activity, no worries. Sign up for a Tuesday, Dec. 3 event as well. Contact Sue.

7. We will schedule a nighttime vigil the night before the vote to IMPEACH. We will meet at the Caribou in Monticello and march on Hwy. 25. Watch for details and plan to join us.

8. David Wakely from MN Census 2020 presented an overview of the coming census activities.

a. Census is important because it is about fair representation in the House of Representatives (how many seats/Congressional Districts MN gets), the Constitution says we must count every person every 10 years, state officials will redraw the boundaries of congressional and state legislative districts in MN to account for populations shifts, and it is about $675 Billion that is shared with schools, hospitals, roads, public works, and other vital programs.

b. MN got to keep the 8th District last time by 87,039 people. We know that 965,000 people in MN will not fill out the Census forms, so we lose that representation/$$/etc.

c. Apartment dwellers and renter most commonly do not fill out Census forms. (More than one door to reach to them.)

d. MN winter Low Income Heating Assistance program is funded by our census numbers. If we don’t get an accurate count, we cheat those people. When the fund is gone, it is done regardless of the month or temperature outside.

e. Substance Abuse Programs are funded through the census numbers.

f. People are over surveyed so they are sick of it and may not want to fill out one more form.

g. MN Census 2020 agency is good at counting people, but not so good at warmly comforting them about the census. So they need community help to pave the way for a successful count.

h. The only census sample form available now is the 2010 form. The new one is said to be very similar. There will not be a citizenship question on the form.

i. Timeline of the Census

1. March 12-20 An invitation to respond to the census will be mailed to all household addresses. (No PO Box will be included.) People should go on-line and fill the form out or do the paper copy and return it immediately.

2. March 16-24 a reminder note will be sent if you have not returned it within that timeframe.

3. If people respond during that timeframe, no government worker will ever come knocking on their door because the computer will check it off as complete.

4. The census forms are tracked by addresses not individual’s names. The data gets counted. The law requires that it never be shared with ICE, police, FBI, or any law enforcement agency.

j. How can you help? Join or start a Complete Count Committee. Go to: mn.gov/2020census

Name your group and get a grant for $750 to help get out the count in your community.

You do not need to be a citizen of US to do this. Just be 18 and proficient in English.

They need workers to go door to door after the initial weeks of on-line and mail census forms expires and household have not responded. They need 7,500 people. MPLS. pays $20 hr., rural $15 hr.

k. Share this information about the census, get people educated and ready to respond immediately.

l. Last time Wisconsin was declared the best counted state in the Union, MN came in second. This time we want MN to be the best counted state.

m. Tell Snowbirds they must fill out the census in the state where they live 6 months + one day.

n. Nurse are the most trusted group of people in American, schoolteachers are the second most trusted. We need those people to help us by talking to people about the importance of the census.

See invitation to Nov. 20 Debate Party Turkey theme.

Buffalo and Elk River passed their school referendums. Howard Lake Waverly turned it down.

Next meeting Dec. 9 Meet at 6:30 to discuss the Census and order a meal. 7:00 Meeting

Submitted by Lani Brown-Worley