

The City of Minneapolis has a habit of finding its way into headlines around the country and even around the world. Sometimes it is for good things, like hosting Super Bowls or Final Fours. More often in recent years, the attention paid to Minneapolis is for bad things like murders, rioting, and police violence.
Minneapolis indeed is a troubled city. A beautiful place with lakes, parks, transportation, sports, restaurants, colleges, health care, and businesses, it is struggling. Struggling badly.
Next Tuesday, there are city elections that residents and political activists alike hope can improve things. While this blog focuses on national politics, we will offer here a few succinct thoughts about the Minneapolis elections.
What are the Questions on the Ballot?
One of the fundamental principles of Principle Based Politics is understanding. This requires one to take the time to understand the facts before forming a conclusion. That starts with learning what questions are posed. Minneapolitans who have studied the issues for November 2 know there are four main decisions to make:
*One problem of modern politics is that advocates believe they need to immediately trumpet or condemn slogans like “Defund the Police,” which are designed to fit nicely on posters and tweets. We hope politicians learned a lesson in 2020, when this catchy-but-ridiculous idea backfired in elections all across the country.
Our goal today is to increase the understanding of the issues, not to endorse any candidates or suggest how anyone in Minneapolis should vote.*
*Although this blogger’s law office was downtown for 32 years until retirement, he lives in a suburb and cannot vote. Frequent appearances at Target Field are insufficient to confer Minneapolis residency.
Applying Principles
We will add this: the principle of protecting the vulnerable demands armed police. The same principle, however, along with principles of law and justice, freedom and equality, all insist that the police not abuse their power or discriminate. We also believe that the primary problem with crime in Minneapolis is the criminals themselves, not the police, even though officers are imperfect and sometimes do make mistakes.
Lastly, the principle of limited government mandates local control over local issues like those facing Minneapolis. Federal politicians largely should stay out of the way—offering training, support, and cooperation when needed—rather than popping off or exploiting problems to justify further federal regulation.
Written by Quentin R. Wittrock, founder of Principle Based Politics.
Look for his posts each week, as this blog will explore and promote the idea of principle in politics, both as to individual elected leaders and our federal government as an institution.
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