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Not Eudora
By Harry Welty
Published Oct. 10, 2008

1 in 5 x $5, Nov. 4th

Can the Duluth School Board take away our constitutionally protected right to vote like every other Minnesotan? Only if Duluth voters are sheep. Here’s a little history:

1776 -When their British countrymen imposed taxes on British colonists who had no vote on them, the colonists rebelled and became Americans.

1868 - After the Civil War slaves were freed but denied citizenship. Like the colonists before them they had no vote.

Their former owners passed “black codes” that prevented them from leaving the land and that took away their guns their dignity and their vote. In response the Reconstruction Congress wrote the 14^th Amendment. The people of Duluth ought to reread the 14^th Amendment and learn its history. I recommend looking it up on “Wikipedia.” Its first section says:

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

The 14^th Amendment forbids the State of Minnesota from denying equal protection of the law to Minnesota residents.

For example: Minnesota can’t let 16 year olds vote in one Congressional District but require voters to be 18 in other congressional districts. That would be unequal to some 16 and 17 year olds.

For example: Minnesota can’t limit voting to people who own homes. That would treat people who rent unequally.

And Minnesota can’t let people who live in small cities vote for major school building bonds while denying the same right to residents of “cities of the first class.” Minnesota can not give inferior and unqual rights to the residents of Duluth, St. Paul, and Minneapolis. But that is just what Minnesota law does if we are to believe Dr. Dixon and the Duluth School Board. That’s wrong. That’s unconstitutional. Either no Minnesota citizen should be allowed to vote on Red Plans or all Minnesota citizens should be allowed to vote on them. Our mute and gullible Duluth School Board is treating citizens with the same disdain as Parliament treated colonists and rebel states treated former slaves.

I don’t think any Minnesota judge confronted with this elementary constitutional logic would let the Red Plan proceed…..not as long as there are elections for judges.

Let Duluth Vote needs to hire lawyers. We need to raise as much as our School Board plans to spend to tell us how critical the operations levy is while hiding the fact that 3/4^ths of it will finance the Red Plan or free up other operations money to finance it. We need $20,000 to win back our stolen votes. If Duluth voters are not sheep we should be able to raise it.

If one in five Duluth voters think their votes are worth five bucks and drops a fiver or a small check to Let Duluth Vote in an ice cream bucket on November 4th we will win back our votes. One voter in five times five dollars! OR 1 in 5 x $5.

Let Duluth Vote needs 120 volunteers willing to stand 100 feet from every polling place for a five-hour shift on Election Day, Nov. 4^th to collect these donations. It will probably be a cold day but it will be more like watching a game at Lambeau Field than Valley Forge .

Our School Board deserves to be recalled but that’s not in the cards. We can replace them next year but not before their Red Plan does more damage. We need a judge to call a halt to the Red Plan until we get a chance to vote on it. 

Let Duluth Vote will meet at 6:30PM every Thursday before the election at the Duluth Heights Community Club, 33 W Mulberry. It’s just off of Central Entrance and Arlington Ave. We have a map on our website: www.letduluthvote.com

We’ll also be organizing volunteers at our spaghetti dinner at the West End VFW Post on Saturday, Oct. 25^th from 4 to 7PM. Tickets are $8. Mail a check to Let Duluth Vote, PO Pox 3174, Duluth , MN   55803

This election gives us a chance to tell our children that we will defend their rights and that we won’t let anyone steal their vote.