<script data-pm-proxy="intercept"></script><?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[The Becka Show]]></title><description><![CDATA[Essays and analysis on politics, money, and civic systems—written by a math teacher who believes understanding is a form of public service.]]></description><link>https://beckathompson.substack.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6Hge!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78f3895c-6ab7-4fc2-afa9-f12ed69b6760_800x800.png</url><title>The Becka Show</title><link>https://beckathompson.substack.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:54:55 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="/__u/beckathompson.substack.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Becka Thompson]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[beckathompson@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[beckathompson@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Becka Thompson]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Becka Thompson]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[beckathompson@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[beckathompson@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Becka Thompson]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[The cycle of destruction]]></title><description><![CDATA[Minneapolis leaders are embracing managed decline. We cannot let them.]]></description><link>https://beckathompson.substack.com/p/the-cycle-of-destruction</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://beckathompson.substack.com/p/the-cycle-of-destruction</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Becka Thompson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:27:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6Hge!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78f3895c-6ab7-4fc2-afa9-f12ed69b6760_800x800.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><span>People will tell you, truly, that every city faces fiscal pressure at some point. Economic cycles change. Property values rise and fall. Federal money comes and goes. None of that, by itself, signals danger. there are natural ebbs and flows of economic cycles like a soft rain or a dry spell. </span></p><p><span>And then there is the big storm, the drought, the patters with defy moderation and destroy all in its path. We&#8217;re staring at a hurricane. And we have had for several years. The rain is coming and the skies are darkening. Some will tell you it will blow over. Mathematics tells us it will not. History does the same. </span></p><p><span>Let&#8217;s examine what we know, so that we can avoid annihilation. </span></p><p><span>Right now, Minneapolis is not broke, technically.</span></p><p><span>The city still has reserves, investment-grade credit, and a large regional economy. which can support it through some lean times. But multiple leading indicators suggest something more concerning: we are approaching the conditions that, in other cities, have preceded long-term fiscal decline which has resulted in the near devastation of their economies for generations. .</span></p><div><hr></div><p><span>Cities never collapse suddenly. Even after Minneapolis was burned and defunded and crime was let to soar, people are still here and others are still moving in.  Fiscal decline is never the result of a single bad decision or one difficult year, and thats why newspapers hide the evidence, or perhaps they don&#8217;t see. Why politicians talk over it, or perhaps they don&#8217;t know.  It is year over year, it&#8217;s an EQUATION and thats why most people miss it. </span></p><p><span>Civic failure follows a predictable pattern, but it is one drawn out over a decade or more, long enough for those who want to politically capitalize to have a signature program but don&#8217;t stick around long enough for everyone to watch it fail. This is why people rise to their levels of incompetence. Like riding a wave into rocks, the politicians don&#8217;t care so long as you can see them on the board.</span></p><p><span>We are at the second stage, already through the first. Let me explain:</span></p><p><span>After a calamitous event, like the trifecta of COVID, the burning of the city  and &#8216;Defund the police&#8221; the first strike of the decline is that the economic base weakens &#8212; hrough declining commercial property values or business activity.</span></p><p><span>For us, this has already happened. We are in stage two where,  to &#8220;maintain services&#8221;, the city raises property taxes. We have been in this stage for five years. </span></p><p><span>As the tax burden rises, investment slows. Businesses delay expansion. Some leave. Property values fall further. In the case of Minneapolis, instead of trying to fix the issues after the burning of the city, elected leaders made the fiscal problems WORSE, joining American Rescue Plan Act COVID money into pilot projects instead of rebuilding, laundering it into non-profits instead of shoring up essential services. </span></p><p><span>So the vice grip our city finds ourselves in is actually WORSE than the typical cautionary tales. We are already past this as well. Spending expectations from these &#8216;pilots&#8217; remain. Property taxes rise and, along with that, peoples inability to pay. We passed this threshold last spring. (spring 2025, in the 2024 fiscal year)</span></p><p></p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[How did it come to this?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Looking for competence in a world in lack of critique.]]></description><link>https://beckathompson.substack.com/p/how-did-it-come-to-this</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://beckathompson.substack.com/p/how-did-it-come-to-this</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Becka Thompson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2026 02:42:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6Hge!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78f3895c-6ab7-4fc2-afa9-f12ed69b6760_800x800.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When I was a student at the Juilliard school the schedule was locked and didn&#8217;t really move. We were each placed in a section from our group. My group was 31 and my section &#8216;D&#8217; (all of us in &#8216;D&#8217; already had a bachelors degree). That was it. I spent every second of every day with those same four people and I loved it. Sometimes we&#8217;d have acting class with &#8216;section C&#8217;, other times we&#8217;d have movement with the whole group (all 20 of us), but basically I was locked in with those same other 4 people for 12 hours a day for years. </p><p>Each rotations of classes had a show that we worked on at night. We did MacBeth, Summerfolk, new play development from the playwrights division using the directors from our directing division (many of these individuals have won Tony awards and Obies, Emmy&#8217;s and even Oscars). We studied Moliere, Brecht, Gorki, Chekhov and, of course, Shakespeare. </p><p>At the end of every show there weren&#8217;t tests - there were &#8216;critiques&#8217;. The play was the thing wherein to catch the progress of the student. </p><p>Critiques at Juilliard were high stakes. Get too many bad reviews and you were asked to leave the school. Famously, Val Kilmer spent his entire tenure at Juilliard on &#8216;probation&#8217; but never got cut. </p><p>Having come from the intense world of the University of Minnesota Institute of Technology for my Mathematics degree, critiques worried me but not the same as my peers. I had already had my trial by fire with Professor Frank and the sprawling transcript of Engineering, Physics, Geology and History trying to put square pegs into round holes to fulfill my degree requirements. </p><p>Yes, critiques were intense. Your posture in the show, speech, voice, movement - they were all part of the conversation. And, of course, the show had to be good. And intensity, oftentimes, is abjectly counterintuitive for theater artists. You must be FREE. In movement, voice and expression. </p><p>We used to hover in the corners of the room while our teachers sat around a massive studio hall at Lincoln Center talking to our peers waiting to be called. We all went through it together, just like everything else. I call my old Juilliard classmates brothers and sisters because, no matter how many years it has been, I always knew that they were in the &#8216;trenches&#8217; with me as we sought to be the best of the best at the most exclusive arts school in the world. </p><p>When I became a teacher I vowed to have high standards for all of my students and I was going to make sure they got there. I was soft and encouraging, but I never lowered the bar. I saw what human beings were capable of: from being Olympians, to winning an Emmy, running companies and touring with Katy Perry, I watched my students do all sorts of incredible things. Excellence was the common pursuit. They had blinders on for anything the world was to offer. That was what set them each apart. </p><p>Einstein once famously said that every fish would be considered a failure if the test were how well they could ride a bicycle. I agree with that as well.</p><p>So I wonder, when the task IS riding a bicycle, or rather, doing mathematics in complex pressure filled environments, why are we seeking job applications from fish? </p><p>Or rather, more to the point, when did we abandon excellence? </p><p>This last week I &#8216;caught heat&#8217; from many people for posting a real time real truth video of an elected official who cannot read numbers. I found it curious that the furor would be at me for pointing it out rather than at the truth that we have a $150 million dollar community organization in the hands of someone who, from all evidence, doesn&#8217;t even comprehend numbers. And I wonder one thing only, &#8220;how did it come to this?&#8221;</p><p>We have had such an immense fear of failure as a society, a fear of &#8216;bad feelings&#8217; that we have lost all credibility on serious matters. So let me reflect back to you the serious nature of letting one not prepped remain past critique.</p><p>One might not think theater dangerous work but it very well can be inside of stage combat. Alec Baldwin can tell you that. In an effort to make things more and more realistic, theaters and films have relied on immense and immersive stage combat sequences. This makes actors high value athletes. Doing these takes or these shows over and over and over again to make it not only realistic, but safe, requires the endurance and strength of a marathoner. I was in a show once where the other actors with me AND the director of the show did not take stage combat seriously. </p><p>In the world of stage combat, it is like dancing. There are rules of movement. The actors become almost enmeshed with one another. To be blunt, it is actually a profoundly intimate act - to pretend to fight someone - and to stay safe, it must be done correctly, especially when one considers, in theater, you do this night after night after night. Injury can jeopardize the whole show. </p><p></p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Mathematics of Minneapolis]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ignorance of the truth is no defense.]]></description><link>https://beckathompson.substack.com/p/the-mathematics-of-minneapolis</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://beckathompson.substack.com/p/the-mathematics-of-minneapolis</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Becka Thompson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 25 May 2026 17:55:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6Hge!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78f3895c-6ab7-4fc2-afa9-f12ed69b6760_800x800.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The following is part of a series of who, what, when, where, why and how of Minneapolis&#8217; decline. The following explores what happened in Detroit.  </p><p><em>I would like to wish all at the top of this a very healthy and happy Memorial Day. As we look back at the sacrifices of those who went before us, let us use these lessons as we look to the future. </em></p><p>~B</p><h1>Part 2: Lessons from Detroit</h1><p></p><p>In my decades from teaching mathematics and my more decades from living life, I&#8217;ve understood two truths: 1) real world mathematics is never linear, 2) most people only understand mathematics as linear, at best. </p><p>But real Math isn&#8217;t linear, it&#8217;s largely exponential in the decade scope and sinusoidal in the generational scope. When it comes to cities, once decline starts, it expands.  In other words, &#8216;it&#8217;s not that bad&#8217; is not a phrase that can be true even tomorrow. One must understand the truth of exponential, accelerated decay. And if one can&#8217;t understand it mathematically, perhaps they can in a real world example of a former glorious city that itself went into a death spiral: </p><p>DETROIT. </p><p>Let me walk you through the math of how America&#8217;s richest industrial city bankrupted itself.</p><div><hr></div><h3><strong>Step 1: Prosperity Built on an Assumption</strong></h3><p>In the 1960s, Detroit was still wealthy. Automakers provided jobs, families bought homes, and the city collected strong tax revenues. But city hall started making a dangerous bet: they built budgets around federal dollars from Lyndon Johnson&#8217;s Great Society programs. Instead of aligning spending with a sustainable tax base, they expanded payrolls, contracts, and pensions with Washington&#8217;s money.</p><div><hr></div><h3><strong>Step 2: Riots, Crime, and the Cost Spiral</strong></h3><p></p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Cities Fall]]></title><description><![CDATA[The lessons from math are largely being ignored by city leaders, can we still change their minds?]]></description><link>https://beckathompson.substack.com/p/how-cities-fall</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://beckathompson.substack.com/p/how-cities-fall</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Becka Thompson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:17:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6Hge!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78f3895c-6ab7-4fc2-afa9-f12ed69b6760_800x800.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This is the beginning of a series of articles regarding the fiscal and prideful challenges Minneapolis faces. It will examine what, how and why. It will expose who is actually driving the city in this way and what we can do about it. </p><div><hr></div><h2>Part One: THE ROAD WE&#8217;RE ON:</h2><p>Every city faces fiscal pressure at some point. Economic cycles change. Property values rise and fall. Federal money comes and goes. None of that, by itself, signals danger.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://beckathompson.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">The Becka Show is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>What matters is direction.</p><p>Right now, Minneapolis is not broke but it is broken. The city still has decent reserves, investment-grade credit, and a large regional economy. But multiple leading indicators suggest something more concerning: we are approaching the conditions that, in other cities, have preceded long-term fiscal decline.</p><p>The question is no longer whether pressure exists.</p><p>The question is: <strong>Where is the line where the point of no return exists? And are we moving toward it &#8212; or away from it?</strong></p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>How Cities Actually Fail</strong></h2><p>Cities rarely collapse suddenly. Fiscal decline is almost never the result of a single bad decision or one difficult year. Instead, failure follows a predictable pattern, one economists and mathematicians alike can see. </p><p>First, the economic base weakens &#8212; often through declining commercial property values or business activity. In the case of Minneapolis the cocktail of failure looks like the COVID pandemic, riots, misappropriated federal one times monies and a series of municipal ordinances that were horribly ill timed. </p><p>When the only thing you know is a hammer, then you often see everything as a nail. In governance parlance, this often looks like, &#8216;when money is hard to come by, raise taxes.&#8217; In the case of municipalieies, to maintain services, the city raises property taxes.</p><p>As the tax burden rises, investment inevitably slows. Businesses delay expansion. Some leave the city or the state. This aggregate accelerates property value decline.</p><p>At the same time, spending <em>expectations</em> &#8212; built during better years &#8212; remain. Programs created with temporary funding become permanent. When revenues no longer keep pace, cities begin using reserves or one-time money to fill the gap.</p><p>At that point, the feedback loop begins.</p><p>We are in the loop:  Higher taxes. A weaker tax base. Structural gaps. Reserve use. Reduced financial flexibility. We see this in failing public schools, bankrupt HCMC, talk of a municipal income tax and the shuttering of businesses.</p><p>Once that cycle starts, it becomes increasingly difficult to reverse.</p><p>The cliff doesn&#8217;t arrive all at once. It appears gradually &#8212; until suddenly the options narrow.</p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>Minneapolis: The Current Position</strong></h2><p>By most traditional measures, Minneapolis remains financially stable. General Fund reserves are still relatively healthy at the moment, but the cracks are showing up. The city maintains investment-grade credit ratings. Core services continue to operate without disruption. In the past two fiscal budget cycles, warnings have come from city staff that the reserves are getting low, Minneapolis is at risk of losing its AAA Bond rating.  Let&#8217;s look more closely: </p><p><strong>Firstly, the commercial tax base is under significant pressure.</strong></p><p>Downtown office vacancy rates now exceed 40 percent. Commercial reassessments are ongoing, and many property owners are appealing valuations.  Multiple towers are being sold for pennies on the dollar as well being foreclosed upon. </p><p>This matters because property tax &#8212; particularly commercial property &#8212; is the foundation of the city&#8217;s operating revenue. When commercial values fall, the tax burden does not disappear. It shifts- to homeowners and renters.</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Second, property tax growth is accelerating.</strong></p><p>Recent levy increases have been among the largest in decades. While some increases were necessary to maintain services, sustained growth at this level creates risk.</p><p>Higher residential tax burdens affect housing affordability. Higher commercial effective rates discourage investment. Over time, both pressures weaken the very tax base the city depends on. And both pressures encourage both home owners and businesses to relocate all together. </p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Third, spending expectations have outpaced stable revenue sources.</strong></p><p>During the pandemic and recovery period, Minneapolis &#8212; like many cities &#8212; received substantial federal relief through the American Rescue Plan. Those funds supported important services and helped stabilize operations during a difficult period. But federal relief was temporary.</p><p>The risk arises when programs created with one-time funding become ongoing commitments. When the temporary money ends, the city faces a structural choice: reduce spending, identify new recurring revenue, or use reserves to bridge the gap.</p><p>Recent decisions to draw from fund balance without a clear replenishment plan suggest that structural pressure is beginning to emerge. One draw is not a crisis, but a pattern certainly becomes one. </p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>So&#8230; where is the line?</strong></h2><p>There is a common misconception that cities enter crisis when they run out of money.</p><p>In reality, the critical threshold comes much earlier.</p><p>Credit rating agencies and municipal analysts watch for three signals:</p><ol><li><p><strong>Declining reserves year over year</strong></p></li><li><p><strong>Official projections of recurring budget deficits</strong></p></li><li><p><strong>A weakening economic base combined with rising tax burden</strong></p></li></ol><p>When two of these occur at the same time, the city&#8217;s financial outlook typically turns negative.  Minneapolis checks all three boxes. </p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>The Timeline We Are On</strong></h2><p>Based on current trends &#8212; moderate commercial value decline, continued levy increases, and spending growth aligned with recent years &#8212; the risk window looks like this:</p><p><strong>2026&#8211;2027<br></strong>Pressure phase. Structural gaps begin to emerge as temporary federal support ends.</p><p><strong>2028<br></strong>If reserves are used to maintain service levels, fund balance begins to decline toward the 15% threshold that rating agencies consider a warning level.</p><p><strong>2029&#8211;2030<br></strong>If trends continue, Minneapolis could face a negative credit outlook, increasing borrowing costs for infrastructure and capital projects.</p><p>This is not inevitable, but it is the trajectory implied by current direction.</p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>The Decision Window</strong></h2><p>The most important fact about municipal finance is this:</p><p><strong>Recovery is easiest before reserves decline.</strong></p><p>Once a city begins drawing down its financial cushion, every adjustment becomes more painful. Options narrow. Tax increases become larger. Service reductions become deeper. Political conflict intensifies. Right now, Minneapolis still has time, but not much.</p><p>The next two budget cycles &#8212; 2026 and 2027 &#8212; will determine whether the city stabilizes its financial trajectory or enters the early stages of structural imbalance.</p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>What Course Correction Looks Like</strong></h2><p>The path away from the cliff does not require drastic action.</p><p>It requires discipline.</p><p>Align ongoing spending with ongoing revenue. Limit the use of one-time funds for recurring programs. Prioritize policies that stabilize and rebuild the commercial tax base, and possibly undo harmful ordinances which cripple them. Protect reserves as a true emergency buffer &#8212; not a balancing tool.</p><p>Most importantly, it requires acknowledging the direction of the underlying trend. Cities rarely fail because they lacked resources. They fail because they assumed the trend would reverse on its own, and leaders were unwilling or unable to look truth in the face. </p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>The Real Question</strong></h2><p>The real question is not whether the city can absorb another levy increase or another one-time fund transfer.</p><p>The real question is whether current decisions are strengthening the long-term revenue base &#8212; or weakening it. Because fiscal cliffs do not appear suddenly. They appear when a series of reasonable short-term choices quietly adds up to a long-term trajectory.</p><p>The line is not behind us. But it is closer than we think.</p><p>And the direction we choose now will determine whether Minneapolis turns away from the cliff or keeps driving&#8230;</p><p></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;2dd51e65-1fdf-49f1-87a8-8fc9ae1e7808&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><h2>Capital Campaign updates: </h2><p>Thank you to those who have donated to my campaign. I have been asked by many people to continue to share what I know and elevate the forgotten stories of Minneapolis and how it affects our state. Toward that end I am in the middle of a capital campaign to fund my work for the next six months to get us to Election Day. If you value &#8216;boots on the ground&#8217; stories that you can only get from a former MPS teacher, MPRB park commissioner and city council candidate, I would welcome the support. Please forward to friends out state who also would like to see the stories that are often forgotten from Minneapolis. </p><p>Here is to saving our city! </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://linktr.ee/beckathompson&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Links to all the ways to support!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://linktr.ee/beckathompson"><span>Links to all the ways to support!</span></a></p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://beckathompson.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">The Becka Show is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Hour is nigh...]]></title><description><![CDATA[As election season goes into full swing...]]></description><link>https://beckathompson.substack.com/p/the-hour-is-nigh</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://beckathompson.substack.com/p/the-hour-is-nigh</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Becka Thompson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:03:31 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6Hge!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78f3895c-6ab7-4fc2-afa9-f12ed69b6760_800x800.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I will confess at the top, what I&#8217;m about to write about isn&#8217;t my strong suit. I&#8217;ll cut to the chase: I&#8217;m asking for money. </p><p>But then I think of people like Mamdani who brazenly asks for money despite all of the promises and people still give it to him. I think about the vast quantities the DSA are able to fundraise to be able to try to destroy our state and I think, &#8216;surely there must be people like me who want to save it?&#8217;</p><p>I have gotten a lot of positive feedback from my short videos about the city and my writing on the city. I&#8217;ll admit, even I was a little surprised. I&#8217;m a firm believer in following where you&#8217;re led and the path typically reveals itself in people saying, &#8220;tell me more&#8221; or &#8220;you&#8217;re really good at this&#8230;&#8221; Thats where I go. </p><p>So, if you&#8217;ve given to a political candidate or PBS I&#8217;d like to ask that you might consider giving to me. I am trying to fundraise enough to keep the lights on for the next 6 months- to Election Day. </p><p>I am a non partisan news source direct from the city of Minneapolis. Anyone who knows me knows that I was raised in a household of extreme conservatism and very vibrant liberalism at the same time. Due to this I have always been right down the middle. I am also the middle child- a natural peace maker. I say this to hope you can know you can trust me to be honest and fair. Being a mathematician helps also. </p><p>So, if you don&#8217;t already follow me on different social media platforms, here are the links- and there are also links to becoming a founding member of &#8216;The Becka Show&#8217;.  Founding members get everything early and first access to what will soon be an actual live show. In addition to my immense gratitude. </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUGxmfHyd_U&amp;feature=youtu.be">YouTube Channel </a></p><p>And my socials: <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@beckathompson31">TikTok</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/stories/the_becka_show/">Instagram</a>, </p><p>I also have started a store! It has merch. Though this is fun it is not enough to keep me afloat to give you what you need to understand how to help our state.  Here is a link: <a href="https://printify.com/app/store/products/1">The Becka Show Store</a></p><p>I have interviews already set up with community members, leaders and the younger and older stake holders of our city.  I just need to know that this is what you want, and the best way for me to know that is if I can get the financial support I need to keep the lights on for the next 6 months. Thank you so much for considering.  I have 3 tiers set up: $250, $500 and $1000. I don&#8217;t want any major donations because that means people feel a sense that they own your voice. I discovered this in politics. To be fair I need more buy in with less per person. That said, if you cannot afford $250, you are welcome to subscribe to my substack here and/or consider buying a t-shirt or coffee mug. Starts at $8. </p><p>&#8220;A waterfall of pennies&#8221; my friends once said, &#8220;can sometime change the world.&#8221; </p><p>This campaign is going to last for 2 weeks and after two weeks, we will reassess.  You can see all my links in one space on linktre also: <a href="https://linktr.ee/beckathompson">LinkTree!</a></p><p>Let&#8217;s hope we can get this one right! Together! 2026 is going to be a big year!!</p><p>Thank you so much. Let&#8217;s step into a brave new world together. </p><p></p><p>See you out there! </p><p>~Becka</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://beckathompson.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/beckathompson.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://beckathompson.substack.com/p/the-hour-is-nigh?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/beckathompson.substack.com/p/the-hour-is-nigh?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=share&amp;action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://buy.stripe.com/28EaEX6Yq3Xb78jbkn7AI02&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Become a Founding Partner&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://buy.stripe.com/28EaEX6Yq3Xb78jbkn7AI02"><span>Become a Founding Partner</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://buy.stripe.com/00wdR95Um9hvcsD7477AI01&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Founding Circle&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://buy.stripe.com/00wdR95Um9hvcsD7477AI01"><span>Founding Circle</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://buy.stripe.com/cNi00j82u51fgITewz7AI00&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Founding Member&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://buy.stripe.com/cNi00j82u51fgITewz7AI00"><span>Founding Member</span></a></p><p></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[What then Can we do?]]></title><description><![CDATA[With multiple engines failing, it seems we need Superman to fly us home.]]></description><link>https://beckathompson.substack.com/p/what-then-can-we-do</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://beckathompson.substack.com/p/what-then-can-we-do</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Becka Thompson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 16 Mar 2026 17:42:39 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6Hge!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78f3895c-6ab7-4fc2-afa9-f12ed69b6760_800x800.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The economy of Minneapolis is predicated upon many things. While both our politicians and our news media seems distracted by the newest shiny object, I have been tracking the prongs of our community. First downtown Minneapolis, then HCMC now uptown Minneapolis. </p><p>Anecdotally, everyone I know has shifted shopping habits who  lives in the city. Not just boutique shopping (of which barely any stores exit) but also grocery and gas buying. No one of means wants the bag fee, or the extra tax, or the chance of being held up at gun point or the possibility of the shop being shut down by a protest. </p><p>Everyone, it seems to me, has tired of this. Except the activist class who profits from it. </p><p>So, what then can we do? </p><p>As a mathematician, I have been trained to read trends. I didn&#8217;t realize what a rare skill this was until I ran for the city council.  This is the beauty of mathematics, it affords you opportunities to see.</p><p>My own warnings aside, we are here. Here we are. Like being lost in the wilderness and suddenly seeing a &#8216;you are here&#8217; marker. Though it may not be where you want to be, at least it might give you the ability to find your way out. </p><p>But it requires a CLEAR LOOK. </p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Good Grief]]></title><description><![CDATA[Misery loves company, here we are.]]></description><link>https://beckathompson.substack.com/p/good-grief</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://beckathompson.substack.com/p/good-grief</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Becka Thompson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 27 Jan 2026 14:33:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6Hge!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78f3895c-6ab7-4fc2-afa9-f12ed69b6760_800x800.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I don&#8217;t write that title to be glib. As you might already know my father died Christmas morning. </p><p>There is a Robert Frost poem that claims, &#8220;<em><a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47548/acquainted-with-the-night">I have been one acquainted with the night.&#8221;</a></em>  I can say that about grief. I&#8217;ve had more than many, less than some. About equal, I suppose. </p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://beckathompson.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">The Becka Show is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>As such, I&#8217;ve discovered a few things about grief and grieving. Some people grieve by yelling, others by stillness. Some need to move and march, some stand still. Some indulge too much in the things that aren&#8217;t good for them and some turn exercise into it&#8217;s own twelve step program. </p><p>It&#8217;s a mystery. </p><p>In the midst of all our shared chaos, I attended a night of short plays for students. Their eyes upon the world are always interesting for me to see. My ex husband and I started going to high school shows in 2002 supporting kids we coached or taught and now that our son is of an age where we still go to the theater. </p><p>There were three of the short plays that really caught my attention at the show: </p><p>One was a small series of vignettes of what teenagers typically go through in school. Though I use the word &#8216;typical&#8217; the way Amy Poehler sums divorce: </p><blockquote><p>&#8220;<em>When you are a person going through a divorce you feel incredibly alone, yet you are constantly reminded by society of how frequently divorce happens and how common it has become. You aren&#8217;t allowed to feel special, but no one understands the specific ways you are in pain.&#8221;</em> </p></blockquote><p>I think that&#8217;s how kids feel about high school. This particular play reminded me of that. What is old to us is brand new to them. We can never forget that.  As we age we are prone to hardening and becoming bitter, but the pliant brains and bodies of young people not only see the beauty of life but, teenagers specifically, see the pain with fresh eyes. That play was about that. </p><p>The next play was a play within a play, more specifically, it was a musical within a play. The musical was hilarious to me: &#8220;<em><strong>Communism! Red Scare! The Musical!&#8221;</strong></em> I laughed outright many times. In it the playwright, a classmate of my son, took the love songs of Les Mis and Hamilton! as though Joseph McCarthy and Joseph Stalin were secret lovers.  It was a perfect parody. </p><p>It was one of those once in a lifetime moments that can sometimes be magic for teachers and others who work with young people. </p><p>The last was written by my own son. Yes, I&#8217;m a proud mother but I share this because it was a perfect scene for our moment. His play was delicate inside of the absurd: A high school boy dressed up as a superhero to &#8216;save the city&#8217; as a coping mechanism for the fact that his sister died- something he could not control. </p><p>Like life, it played out in unexpected ways. </p><p>When we grieve we can possibly become any one of these spaces. When the city first burned in 2020, I won&#8217;t deny I went into trauma shock. I have told people many times since, &#8220;In the fight or flight response? I&#8217;m a fighter.&#8221; Many of my neighbors moved, many of us stayed. Those conversations are popping up again. </p><p>This time, in our city&#8217;s grief, I&#8217;ve turned recluse. I know many of you have protested, maybe gone online. Stayed up too late. Worried about your kids.  I&#8217;m not trying to speculate so much as reveal the cyclone of my own past.  This time, I&#8217;ve become very quiet. I suppose this post is an attempt to break through that. </p><p>When my father passed, his funeral was literally standing room only. My siblings and I were hosts with our mother, which was a bizarre sense. If you&#8217;ve been through it, I&#8217;m sorry and, also, you might know what I am speaking toward.  </p><p>My father was a doctor and an ardent man of the church. Those two things and his enormous family found me, all morning, listening to story after story of the impact my dad had on others&#8217; lives. I told each one, &#8220;It makes this easier to bear knowing that we are grieving together.&#8221;</p><p>I stand by that then, and I stand by that now.</p><p>Wherever you are, whoever you are and for whatever reason you grieve, I find it undeniable that there is something deeply layered and human going on. We are being force to see what it is we really want out of community. No complacency, no. Truth. And we are in this wrestling for meaning together. </p><p>I usually like to have answers. Truth be told my aptitude at math is from grief as a child. I poured myself into numbers when the world didn&#8217;t make sense. Out of that grief gave me a skill that has gotten me jobs my entire life. Not all trouble is terrible forever, yet I don&#8217;t have any answers for you tonight. </p><p>What I have are words to remind you that you&#8217;re not alone. And that there is, actually, no &#8216;right&#8217; answer to our world right now. </p><p>So kiss your loved ones, hug a stranger and give a smile to everyone you meet. </p><p>See you out there.</p><p>~Becka</p><div><hr></div><p></p><p><strong>Matthew 5:</strong></p><p><strong><sup>43 </sup></strong>&#8220;You have heard that it was said, &#8216;Love your neighbor<sup> </sup>and hate your enemy.&#8217; <strong><sup>44 </sup></strong>But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, <strong><sup>45 </sup></strong>that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. <strong><sup>46 </sup></strong>If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? <strong><sup>47 </sup></strong>And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? <strong><sup>48 </sup></strong>Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://beckathompson.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">The Becka Show is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Behind the Headlines]]></title><description><![CDATA[The biggest story for the city this week isn't ICE, Renee Good or Cities Church, its something far worse...]]></description><link>https://beckathompson.substack.com/p/behind-the-headlines</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://beckathompson.substack.com/p/behind-the-headlines</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Becka Thompson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 19 Jan 2026 17:29:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qm5Y!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Facf206fc-9619-4b43-95d0-9ccd884e47ef_1284x2214.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1>Inside the Chaos</h1><h3>What we miss beneath the headlines&#8212;and why this election may decide whether Minneapolis keeps its hospital</h3><p>When a city lands in national or international headlines again, the obvious impacts dominate the coverage: protests, politics, personalities, spectacle. What gets missed are the quieter structural consequences unfolding underneath the banner headlines and CNN chyrons.</p><p>We are now living through our second wave of global attention in a decade. For those who have lived here through both, that repetition carries its own psychological weight. As a longtime teacher, and someone steeped in how human systems respond to stress, I want to acknowledge that first: what we&#8217;re experiencing as a community is real, cumulative, and destabilizing. So before we talk numbers and institutions, it&#8217;s worth saying plainly&#8212;hang in there. Cities do recover. But recovery depends on whether we protect the infrastructure that keeps people alive while everything else is shaking.</p><p>Which brings me to what barely made the news last week.</p><p>Employees at <strong>Hennepin Healthcare</strong> received an internal email stating that the hospital&#8217;s <strong>cash reserves were near zero</strong>.</p><p>Not &#8220;tight margins.&#8221;<br>Not &#8220;challenging conditions.&#8221;<br>Zero.</p><p>That sentence matters more than any press release or values statement because hospitals&#8212;like governments&#8212;do not operate on intentions. They operate on payroll, vendors, medical supplies, insurance reimbursements, and timing. <strong>Cash on hand is the oxygen of an institution.</strong> When it disappears, everything else becomes secondary.</p><p>To understand how we got here&#8212;and why this moment should focus voters&#8217; minds during the 2026 election cycle more than ICE or cable-news outrage&#8212;you have to step back and understand what HCMC actually is, how it was built, and how governance and ideology quietly reshaped its finances.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qm5Y!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Facf206fc-9619-4b43-95d0-9ccd884e47ef_1284x2214.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qm5Y!, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/w_424, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Facf206fc-9619-4b43-95d0-9ccd884e47ef_1284x2214.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qm5Y!, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/w_848, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Facf206fc-9619-4b43-95d0-9ccd884e47ef_1284x2214.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qm5Y!, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Facf206fc-9619-4b43-95d0-9ccd884e47ef_1284x2214.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qm5Y!, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Facf206fc-9619-4b43-95d0-9ccd884e47ef_1284x2214.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qm5Y!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Facf206fc-9619-4b43-95d0-9ccd884e47ef_1284x2214.heic" width="1284" height="2214" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/acf206fc-9619-4b43-95d0-9ccd884e47ef_1284x2214.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2214,&quot;width&quot;:1284,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:421147,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://beckathompson.substack.com/i/184914826?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Facf206fc-9619-4b43-95d0-9ccd884e47ef_1284x2214.heic&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qm5Y!, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/w_424, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Facf206fc-9619-4b43-95d0-9ccd884e47ef_1284x2214.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qm5Y!, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/w_848, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Facf206fc-9619-4b43-95d0-9ccd884e47ef_1284x2214.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qm5Y!, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Facf206fc-9619-4b43-95d0-9ccd884e47ef_1284x2214.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qm5Y!, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Facf206fc-9619-4b43-95d0-9ccd884e47ef_1284x2214.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><div><hr></div><h2>A brief history of the City Hospital</h2><p>Long before acronyms and branding exercises, Minneapolis had something refreshingly blunt: <strong>a city hospital</strong>.</p><p>Founded in 1887, what we now call Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) began as Minneapolis City Hospital. Its purpose was simple and unapologetic: when people were injured, sick, poor, or unwanted elsewhere, the city still had a responsibility to treat them&#8212;no matter their income, their status, or their need.</p><p>Over time, the name shifted&#8212;from City Hospital to Minneapolis General Hospital&#8212;but the mission stayed the same. This was the place for industrial accidents, epidemics, trauma, and the people private medicine quietly declined.</p><p>Across town, hospitals like Swedish emerged from immigrant and ethnic mutual-aid traditions. These institutions were practical, frugal, and deeply embedded in neighborhood life. Over decades, as medicine grew more complex and expensive, consolidation followed national trends. Hospitals merged, closed, or were absorbed to survive rising costs.</p><p>By the mid-20th century, Minneapolis recognized that running a hospital was no longer just a city issue. It was a regional one. In 1964&#8212;during another period of unrest and fiscal strain&#8212;control transferred from the city to the county. The reason was not ideological; it was financial. <strong>Counties had larger tax bases and more liquidity.</strong></p><p>In 1974, the institution formally became Hennepin County Medical Center. A modern downtown campus followed in the 1970s, and later expansions absorbed capacity when neighboring hospitals closed.</p><p>Through every iteration, one thing never changed: <strong>HCMC was designed as a safety-net hospital, not a profit-seeking enterprise.</strong></p><div><hr></div><h2>How HCMC is actually governed</h2><p>People often decry the state of healthcare in the United States without understanding how today&#8217;s systems emerged. Historically, hospitals fell into two buckets: mission-driven institutions (religious or community-based) and government-run safety nets.</p><p>HCMC sits squarely in the second category.</p><p>It is operated by Hennepin Healthcare, which is not a private nonprofit in the conventional sense but a <strong>county-owned public health system</strong>, ultimately controlled by <strong>Hennepin County</strong> and its <strong>Hennepin County Board of Commissioners</strong>.</p><p>That means the real backstop isn&#8217;t donors or shareholders. It&#8217;s taxpayers&#8212;and the elected officials who decide how much support the system gets and how it&#8217;s run.</p><p>Historically, this model worked because county levies grew with the tax base, federal and state reimbursements were relatively stable, and the hospital could plan, borrow, and smooth volatility across economic cycles.</p><p>But there&#8217;s another structural rule that governs everything&#8212;and most people don&#8217;t know it exists.</p><div><hr></div><h2></h2>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[New Years Resolved]]></title><description><![CDATA[What are we counting anyway?]]></description><link>https://beckathompson.substack.com/p/new-years-resolved</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://beckathompson.substack.com/p/new-years-resolved</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Becka Thompson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 20:36:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Un7v!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb3ba3a3-865d-402f-aa29-b707da81a852_1069x802.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://beckathompson.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/beckathompson.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><h2>Is this the end of the world as we know it?</h2><p>&#8220;We will either hang together, or we will certainly hang separately&#8221;</p><h3>1. Why this, why now? </h3><p>I&#8217;m an ideas person and ideas have the power to change the world. I also recognize that, well, we really are in short supply with how and why things are the way that they are both in our city and in our world. I would like to help change that. </p><h3>2. Systems rule the world</h3><p>Early in my learning I heard the phrase, &#8220;ignorance of the law is no defense&#8221;. this is baked into our frameworks. So&#8230; if that is the case, certainly it is important to not only know the law, but know the systems that govern them, yes? Most of us are educated and working, family oriented and often in short supply of a deep analysis of structures. That&#8217;s where I come in&#8230;</p><h3>3. The devil is in the details </h3><p>I have spent a career teaching children how to pay attention to detail because significant figures matters. A small error early in a process can create a massive issue later on. In our time, we will discuss, and the graphs and deep analysis - especially for controversial or topical issues - will be for subscribers. </p><h3>4. Let&#8217;s have fun</h3><p>As a community, we&#8217;ve done the whole &#8216;divisive&#8217; thing. People work well when they have a common cause. To me, the only &#8216;enemy&#8217; is ignorance. Let&#8217;s change that and then see where we are.  Let&#8217;s make our common cause understanding our world that we live in together. Maybe we can have a little fun along the way. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Un7v!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb3ba3a3-865d-402f-aa29-b707da81a852_1069x802.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Un7v!, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/w_424, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb3ba3a3-865d-402f-aa29-b707da81a852_1069x802.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Un7v!, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/w_848, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb3ba3a3-865d-402f-aa29-b707da81a852_1069x802.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Un7v!, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb3ba3a3-865d-402f-aa29-b707da81a852_1069x802.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Un7v!, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb3ba3a3-865d-402f-aa29-b707da81a852_1069x802.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Un7v!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb3ba3a3-865d-402f-aa29-b707da81a852_1069x802.jpeg" width="1069" height="802" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/bb3ba3a3-865d-402f-aa29-b707da81a852_1069x802.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:802,&quot;width&quot;:1069,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:69145,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;colored pencil lined up on top of white surface&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="colored pencil lined up on top of white surface" title="colored pencil lined up on top of white surface" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Un7v!, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/w_424, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb3ba3a3-865d-402f-aa29-b707da81a852_1069x802.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Un7v!, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/w_848, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb3ba3a3-865d-402f-aa29-b707da81a852_1069x802.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Un7v!, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb3ba3a3-865d-402f-aa29-b707da81a852_1069x802.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Un7v!, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/beckathompson.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb3ba3a3-865d-402f-aa29-b707da81a852_1069x802.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@jessbaileydesigns">Jess Bailey</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p>Sharpen your pencils, it&#8217;s time to get to work. </p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://beckathompson.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading The Becka Show! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Coming soon]]></title><description><![CDATA[This is The Becka Show.]]></description><link>https://beckathompson.substack.com/p/coming-soon</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://beckathompson.substack.com/p/coming-soon</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Becka Thompson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 19 Jun 2024 22:04:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6Hge!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78f3895c-6ab7-4fc2-afa9-f12ed69b6760_800x800.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This is The Becka Show.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://beckathompson.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/beckathompson.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>