Al Franken's Blog, page 78

January 20, 2012

WDIO: Franken Talks Future With Duluth Biz Leaders

As he addressed Duluth business leaders at the DECC Wednesday night, Senator Al Franken said that right now our national debt is 93 percent of our GDP. After World War II, he said that number was much larger, at 121 percent. Back then we invested in infrastructure,manufacturing, education, and innovation, like the space program.

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Published on January 20, 2012 07:00

Duluth News Tribune: Franken focuses on economy, energy in speech to Duluth's Greater Downtown Council

Nothing is better than coming home to the reality of Minnesota, Sen. Al Franken said Wednesday night as the keynote speaker at the Duluth Greater Downtown Council's annual dinner at the DECC.

Given the dire economy and the gridlock in Washington, he likes talking to Minnesotans of all stripes to gain perspective on his work.

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Published on January 20, 2012 06:55

AgriNews: Franken visits Rolling J Farm

Sen. Al Franken slipped on a pair of plastic boots to get an up-close view of Minnesota agriculture at Rolling J Farm.

Ed and Lynn Jostock and their family operate Rolling J Farm near Hammond.

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Published on January 20, 2012 06:52

January 17, 2012

Pioneer Press: Franken to discuss energy efficiency, technology education at U of M

U.S. Senator Al Franken today renewed his call for more energy efficiency efforts and more funding for science, technology, engineering and math as a way to revive U.S. manufacturing.

Speaking at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs, the Democratic senator from Minnesota said he wants to encourage young people to consider jobs in the high-tech precision manufacturing jobs that requires computer skills.

"But instead of investing in more workforce training, we're investing less," he said, citing efforts in Congress to slash funding for training.

Franken emphasized using energy efficiency work as a way to reduce energy bills for municipal buildings and schools and generating retrofitting business for companies, an echo of his call for more retrofitting projects back in October when he launched his "Back To Work Minnesota" initiative.

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Published on January 17, 2012 14:41

January 14, 2012

InForum: Forum editorial: Get sugar talks back on track

Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., is trying to bring union and management back to the American Crystal Sugar bargaining table, but thus far he's had little success. The locked-out union again this week made known its willingness to return to contract talks with a federal mediator, but the company has shown no serious inclination to do so. That's too bad.

First, no matter the final outcome of the contract dispute, observers must remember the situation was precipitated by a lockout, not a strike. The union never intended to stop working during contract talks. When the old contract expired, the company locked the gates, and the gates have stayed locked to union workers since Aug. 1.

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Published on January 14, 2012 13:58

January 11, 2012

Woodbury Bulletin: Franken to drop the puck Thursday at Woodbury hockey game

Bielenberg Ice Arena will get a visit Thursday from one of the nation's most recognizable United States senators.

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Published on January 11, 2012 14:48

Workday Minnesota: Locked-out Crystal Sugar workers meet with Senator Franken

U.S. Senator Al Franken met for more than an hour Tuesday with about 100 workers who have been locked out of their jobs by American Crystal Sugar Company since Aug. 2.

Several workers expressed their gratitude to the senator for his support.

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Published on January 11, 2012 14:46

Care2.com: Franken Wants You to Make it Better for LGBT Youth

Senator Al Franken (D-Minn) has released a video in support of S. 555, the federal Student Non-Discrimination ACT (SNDA).

Putting a spin on the It Gets Better web series, Sen. Franken says that LGBT students shouldn't have to wait until they graduate from high school in order to live their lives free from discrimination and harassment. The SNDA would be a vital step in making LGBT school students' lives better now.

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Published on January 11, 2012 14:43