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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Convention Spin: Building the Bridge to an Economic Turn-Around?

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Thursday, September 4, 2008   

St. Paul, MN – Senator John McCain accepts the Republican presidential nomination tonight, and Minnesotans are being encouraged to listen closely to his speech.

Economist Heidi Shierholz with the Economic Policy Institute says recent U.S. Census Bureau reports show many Americans have seen their wages stagnate or fall over the past seven years, so an acknowledgment of the struggles of working families would be a welcome point. She is also convinced that there are proven methods to stimulate the economy. In her view, the tax rebate checks have worked, and she says making good on the backlog of road and bridge repairs would help, too.

"The country has billions of dollars worth of infrastructure programs that have gone unfinished due to lack of funds."

Shierholz considers the presidential transition a good time to "tune up" the U.S. economy. She believes that no matter who wins, today's economic woes are not a repeat of the Great Depression.

"It's not going to be an out-and-out crisis. Weak job growth is going to last for the next couple of years, but it will eventually turn upward again."

As this year's major political conventions wrap up, some people are seeking answers beyond traditional party lines. Today, former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura joins independent presidential hopeful Ralph Nader at a rally for Nader supporters in Minneapolis.

Andre Ager, chairman of the South Dakota Libertarian Party, says such "Third Party" candidates are important, because they give voters a choice.

"Both parties seem to be headed in the same direction on their major issues, and to really have a choice, you have to vote for a Third Party candidate this year - to have a voice for real change."

Shierholz believes voters should scrutinize every potential presidential nominee carefully in the coming weeks, making special note of their speeches as they hit the campaign trail. Her suggestion? See if they acknowledge the economic situation, and listen for what they plan to do to benefit working families.



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