(Moorhead, MN) — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison shared several of his thoughts and opinions on helping state residents afford the costs of living, on President Joe Biden, and on a documentary heavily criticizing the response to the death of George Floyd in 2020.
Affording their lives
The Attorney General was in Moorhead to discuss “what it takes for Minnesotans to afford their lives” in an open forum listening session. He highlighted a specific story about a mother losing her son to Diabetic ketoacidosis, the process that occurs when the body does not have enough insulin and the blood in their body becomes highly acidic.
“She walked up to me and said, ‘My son aged off the Affordable Care Act when he was 25, and he was on my insurance and turned 26 and had to go on his own. His insulin went from $35 a month to $1,300 a month. He began to ration his insulin, he was a Type 1 Diabetic, his body went into Diabetic ketoacidosis and he died,'” recounted Ellison about a previous discussion held at a different event in the state, “She said ‘my son didn’t really die from diabetes. My son died because he couldn’t afford the medication to keep him alive. He couldn’t afford his life.'”
Ellison says he heard many stories from people in Moorhead about the costs of living, and is going to look at ways to help Minnesotans afford their rent, mortgage, their medicine, and more if they work a full time job. He also pushed for programs that help those that are “too young, too old, or too sick” to afford the cost of Minnesotans’ lives.
Ellison and the attending lawmakers also spoke with several local entities. This includes Labor Unions, Moorhead City Officials, Sheriff’s Departments, County Prosecutors, and New Americans.
President Joe Biden
Ellison self describes himself as a two-time Bernie Sanders supporter, but says he is now behind President Biden when asked on Monday. The Attorney General also pushed back against issues regarding the president not doing enough to solve issues of the American people.
“I think that Biden is a post-pandemic president, solving a bunch a problems, and doing the best that he can,” said Ellison, “I think the public —quite honestly— is under the impression that presidents can wave a magic wand and make our lives all lovely and wonderful. They cannot. They have limited things that they can do. We live in an economy where you can regulate the private sector but you cannot control the private sector. We have not nationalized industry in this country, and who is in control of prices, private industry is.”
Ellison also shared his opinion about poll numbers showing lagging behind among Democrats. He believes Biden would be doing better if people understood more about the economy, how the government, and how the FED works at large.
The Fall of Minneapolis and Chauvin
Although Ellison says he had not seen “The Fall of Minneapolis” documentary, he still offered criticisms regarding the film. Ellison
“My opinion is that its not factually based, it would be better if it included interviews from everybody concerned. I think that it is partisan propaganda,” said Ellison.
He went further into detail when it came to body cam footage that was not shown in court proceedings due to the defense’s decision to not show it, going on to say “You have the right to counsel. Your counsel is going to be a vigorous [and] zealous advocate for your case. I have to assume that [Chauvin’s Lawyer] did not put that video in, is because it did not help his client. Unless you are going to say that he is incompetent.”
Following the conversation about Floyd’s death, Ellison also spoke about the current condition of former officer Chauvin, who was stabbed nearly two-dozen times in November. He also wrote to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons “demanding” for extra measures to protect his safety, and to have the right to serve out his prison sentence in safety.
“I am extremely disappointed that he was attacked that way. The person who did it needs to be prosecuted for attempted murder and first degree assault.”
