This week, the 99% converge on the Capitol to take it back from corporate control.

It's time for the 99% to be a visible, peaceful presence on Capitol Hill. By day we'll show up at Congressional hearings and K Street lobbyists' offices, and by night we'll crash in church auditoriums, union halls, and in tents and sleeping bags.

Our goal is to remind Congress to represent all Americans--not just the richest 1%.

On Monday, folks flew in, set up the People's Camp by pitching tents, and got ready for the week ahead. Yesterday, folks (including the MN delegation) occupied Congressional offices to remind Congress that the Capitol is the People's House.

For the rest of the week, you can follow Alliance for a Better Minnesota's Facebook page as our Deputy Director Joe Davis updates on what goes on for the rest of the week. He'll also be tweeting updates at @doeyjavis.

As we come up on the holiday season, we have many opportunities to give to food drives and our local food pantries. The recent issues, however, are not the quantity alone, but the quality of the food donated.

Not to fear, however! Healthy donations do not need to be pricey. Instead of tossing a package of Ramen noodles in a food drive cart, trade it in for low-sodium canned soup or pinto beans for the same price!

Many commonly donated items are very high in sodium, sugar and calories. More and more folks consistently depend on these donations, many of whom have diet-related health issues like diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Take Dorothy Jones, a 63-year-old diabetic who relies on food donations to get by in Milwaukee. She asks that we resist the impulse to lift spirits with cookies and treats.

"To be honest, I'd rather have fruit."

Although perishables aren't accepted at many food pantries, these produce needs are being met through suppliers, rather than by individual donors. Instead of things that can spoil, grab something from this list of recommended donations this year!

Recommended Donations

• Low-sugar cereal such as Cheeriors or Chex;
• Peanut butter;
• Cans or plastic containers of juice (make sure it's 100% juice, though!)
• Canned vegetables, any variety, marked light or low-sodium;
• Bags of pinto or black beans;
• Rice;
• Canned tuna fish;
• Powdered milk fortified with Vitamin D.

Donations to Avoid

• Foods high in sodium, fat, oils, or sugar;
• Chips, candy, cookies, and crackers;
• Sugary beverages;
• Items in glass bottles;
• Items that are expired or in damaged packaging.

All in all, when you donate to a church, school, or grocery store food drive, ask yourself, "Would I serve this to my family?"

Happy Holidays and Happy Giving!

In fact, the Associated Press wrote at the end of September:

Michele Bachmann spent so much money in Iowa in August to win a statewide test vote that her web videos look more amateurish than professional now.

Ouch.

So let's recap: Michele Bachmann was once again Iowa because she's still running for president despite having no money, lagging way behind in polling and producing amateurish campaign videos.

In a desperate attempt to revive her campaign, Bachmann announced her 11-point economic plan. The bad news for her is that even Republicans believe she would do damage to the economy if elected president.

Clearly, Rep. Michele Bachmann's campaign has faded into the background of the Republican nomination. She's polling in the single digits, guys. The question we should ask her now is: why haven't you dropped out of the race?

This is just another sign of her misguided priorities. Instead of focusing on getting America back to work, Bachmann said that as president one of her first actions would be to shut down the US Department of Education. Um, what? Obviously even Republicans are beginning to see that Bachmann is just too extreme to be our president. She should just admit defeat and go back to doing her job--representing her constituents.

It's shameful how she has neglected the 6th District while on the campaign trail. If you can believe it, Michele Bachmann did not vote a single time in September. According to House records, she has missed 58 percent of the rollc all votes since July 1, when her presidential campaign went into high gear.

Congresswoman Bachmann, it's time to admit defeat and get back to work.

Photo credit: Flickr

Sam Spaise is a quadriplegic survivor of an auto accident. His mom, Marcia, gave up her full-time job to help him with daily tasks such as grooming, bathing and eating. This is her only source of income and it may be reduced by one fifth.

After the accident, Sam had severe brain injuries and was not expected to recover completely. Marcia, a truck driver at the time, hired personal care assistants (PCAs) to care for her son.

As time went on, however, her son started to develop bed sores because the PCAs were not available for overnight shifts, leaving Marcia to try and help her son on top of her full-time position. Marcia eventually quit her job and became Sam's PCA.

Sam now receives efficient and reliable care on a 24-hour basis and Marcia is able to earn a decent wage. Minnesota, along with 46 other states, offers a plan for family members to provide personal care for their loved ones, determined on a case-by-case basis. These plans outline the number of hours and rate of pay for each situation.

This is great, but there are some downfalls.

The maximum amount of hours you can be paid for is 275 hours per month. If you're providing care for your loved on a round-the-clock basis, this is less than half the amount of time you spend providing care during the month.

If that's not enough, the rate of pay will be cut 20 percent for each PCA with the proposed all cuts budgeting approach favored by Republicans. Chopping off one fifth of pay will leave families in even more dire economic situations than before.

"The last few years since the Pawlenty administration have been very tough. I took pay cuts; I took hour reductions, and now to imagine another 20% cut...There's no way we can financially make it," Marcia admitted.

Not only is the care more efficient and reliable, but according to Dena Belisle, a PCA for her own son and founder of ADENA, LLC:

We are able to do...preventative care, which ultimately costs the state less.

Although the conservative all cuts budgeting approach may seem like it creates savings on paper, we must also look at the human impact of any budget.

Photo credit: Flickr

A study funded by the Minneapolis Foundation, "One Minneapolis: A Vision for Our City's Success," exposes massive gaps between race/ethnic identities and income levels.

The study found that simply being Caucasian gives youth a 71 percent chance of graduating, while Hispanic and American Indian students have less than a 25 percent chance. The data, compiled from the 2010 Census and the 2009 American Community Survey, gives us an idea of the schisms between race/ethnicity in the public school system.

"There should be a call of outrage and, more importantly, a call to action," stated Minneapolis Foundation President Sandra Vargas.

The statistics are shocking examples of income disparity:

Almost one out of four Minneapolis residents lives in poverty.

Half of the children living in poverty are black, with a parent either from the US or abroad.

Only 52 percent of white students in the area attend Minneapolis Public Schools, but over three quarters of the black youth in the area are enrolled.

This trend of inequity is continued, as you would expect, in the workforce. In order to put a stop to this continuing disparity, we can't stop at finding and sharing data. Regardless, this is a hugely important step in the right direction.

Photo credit: Flickr