Minnesota’s Somali settlement is a case of compassion without a standard. It is failing and we are at a critical moment. It is what happens when a low-education refugee population from a clan-based, low-trust society is settled in one metro, given immediate access to a generous welfare state, and told that maintaining a separate culture is the goal. There are about 80,000 to 110,000 people, most already citizens, concentrated in Minneapolis, Hennepin, Ramsey, and St. Cloud with new enclaves and concentrations building in neighboring counties. There are too many to undo and that is not a legal option as well so let’s look for real solutions. We need to stop feeding the problem. **What has failed** Equal rules were dropped. Students see Somali classmates skip the punishments everyone else gets. About 12 gangs, roughly 300 kids with an additional Halo of perhaps 1000 more young men and thousands that will not cross them. There are a known 14 homicides and 100-plus shootings in two years, plus incredible amounts of carjackings, ongoing fights and physical altercations, and mall robberies. Welfare is the norm. About half the children in poverty, weak English after a decade, food stamps and Medicaid in most households. (79% are on some form of welfare. Fraud used the same nonprofits that did the welcoming. Meal, autism, and housing cases were overwhelmingly this network. No Western country with a dense Somali population has closed the gap. Sweden is worse. ** Send them back is not a real option.** Most are US-born or naturalized. Citizens cannot be deported for failed integration. Some are removable, non-citizens after serious convictions, status fraud, and the few thousand who never naturalized. That is a slice and not a realistic solution. **What would work** Same offense, same consequence in schools and courts. No racial suspension targets. Federal gun charges, adult charging for carjacking, trespass bans, witness support. English and work required for cash and food aid. Contract bans after fraud convictions. Stop new placements and chain migration into Minnesota. Deport the removable slice. Offer paid exit to anyone who will take it. Do not pretend the citizens are leaving. Churches: quit the resettlement pipeline, back one standard, help individuals who will live by it. Stop the feel good compassion that is actually hurting not helping. In the Muslim community, Imams need to stop making an apology from leaders naming Somalis a condition for helping. They must stop defending the wrongdoing otherwise they are a veto to any progress. Electing new leaders that will not allow the corruption to continue. Holding all of our elected leaders, principles, administrators, and religious leaders accountable. Many of our current leaders are in on the grift and cover up and it’s time for this to end. Others live in fear of retribution for breaking with the ranks. ** If there’s a model we can follow, it’s Denmark, not Sweden. ** Denmark already has done the version people called cruel: lower benefits, temporary status, breakup of the enclaves, mandatory early learning of Danish. They cut the inflow of Somalis. It did not remove the citizens. Minnesota has not done even the mild version of that. “Minnesota Nice” is the perfect environment for the problem to continue, we need to toughen up. If not, the neighborhoods and the schools are in huge trouble. It’s way past time to take this problem seriously and we need everyone to work together to turn things around in Minnesota.

I’m always struck by the live 9/11 news accounts and how long it took us all in real time to absorb these events as an attack vs an accident. Such is the case with Black Swans. They seem so obvious in retrospect but completely outside our comprehension immediately prior.

I’m surprised how angry and sad I still am 25 years later Angry at what was taken from us Sad that fewer people grasp the enormity of the attacks as each year passes And angry that our leaders fight more with each other instead of unifying against our still plotting enemies

Why does a tennis player have to examine 4-5 different tennis balls before deciding which one to serve? Aren’t they all the same? Can you imagine if they did this is every sport?

A Dad’s bond with his children is so incredibly special. Especially doing crazy funny voices while reading. The average dad can transform into a world class impressionist with the right book and moment. My motto is do anything to hear my kid’s laugh…best sound in the world.

Debt is paying for past sins. Saving is investing in your future. Pick your path wisely. You can be on your way to fulfillment, flexibility and freedom!

I can’t tell anymore if everyone is using AI to write or if people have just read so much AI slop that they now write in a tortured “it’s not x but y” long-winded repetitive style all on their own. Either way it’s becoming hard to read. Just write how you talk.

Practicing acceptance has helped me let go of bad things. Remind yourself it is just something bad that has happened. You control your reaction. Don’t fuse your identity to the event. Don’t assume it will always be this way. Learn the lesson you should and move forward.

I don’t understand road signs that say “Bump” with an arrow. Why would you label the problem rather than solve it? Just fix the bump. (This post is not about road construction)

Debt is paying for past sins. Saving is investing in your future self. Pick your path wisely and you can be on the way to fulfillment, flexibility and freedom!

Few things anger people more than home ownership by generation data. Nothing brings out the victim mentality more.

Since the Trump Accounts have been announced, we have an inordinate number of “future value” experts confidently telling us life long investors what $1,000 will be worth in 65 years. Easy to spot the investing virgins. So naive.

New lifestyle term: Save A Lot, Stay Active (SALSA) The two most important things in leading a fulfilling life with family and friends: Freedom & Feeling Good The best path to freedom is paying your future self everyday (saving) The best way to feel good is to be active.

The paradox of choice says that with too many options to choose from, we struggle to commit. The bigger the menu, the harder it is to be sure you’re picking the best one. Try this: set minimum criteria and stop looking when you see something that meets it! You’ll be happier!

Did you know if your neighbor wins the lottery that you are more likely to take on debt and go bankrupt to try to catch up? Such is the insidious power of FOMO. Chart your own path to wealth! Go slow now to go faster later. Quick wealth tends to be fragile anyway.

“The cost of a thing is the amount of life required to be exchanged for it” -Thoreau How many times have you made a big purchase, only to have it let you down? Often we underestimate the amount of upkeep or maintenance or attention we need to give this new thing Simple=Wealthy

This generation uses “walk off” incorrectly. Only applies when hitter & baserunners don’t need to run (can walk) to win. HR or bases loaded walk. Yesterday there was a supposed “walk off triple” where all 3 runners had to sprint to score and win (down by 2). NOT A WALK OFF !!

I don’t understand road signs that say “Bump” with an arrow. Why did they choose to label the problem rather than solve it? Just fix the bump. (Hint: This post is not about road construction)

🔘 The Reset Button (This post has an important point—and it’s not about diet.) I rarely weigh myself, but two days ago I tipped the scales at 205. That’s 10 pounds too heavy—the result of 5 weeks with no climbing (due to surgery) plus too much of my wife’s homemade ice cream. I sounded the alarm—as I write these words, I'm 36 hours into a fast. Each time I fast, I’m reminded how much of my eating is driven by routine and boredom, not actual hunger or nutritional need. My friend Brynn adheres to an ultra-strict diet due to chronic gut issues. She makes zero exceptions, ever. One time I asked her: Aren’t you hungry all the time? I'll never forget her response: “I was at first. Then I realized that being a little hungry is OK. Now I barely think about it, and I feel ten times better.” Being a little hungry is OK. 🔘 In all areas of life, it’s good to hit The Reset Button occasionally. Years ago, I interviewed the well-known climber Will Gadd. He had just sold his house and moved into a van to chase good weather across North America. I asked Will how the transition was going. He gave a similar answer to Brynn’s: “It was uncomfortable for the first three weeks. But when everything you own has to fit into a van, you quickly realize how little you really need to be happy. Now I’ll never go back.” The Reset Button is so important that Elon Musk made it step two of his “algorithm” for product design: “Delete any part or process you can. You may have to add them back later. In fact, if you do not end up adding back at least 10% of them, then you didn’t delete enough.” The same applies to life. Joni Mitchell sang, “You don’t know what you got till it’s gone.” It’s a great litmus test: Remove something from your life for 30 days. If it’s important, you’ll miss it. Just add it back. But you might discover—like Brynn, Will, and I—that less is more. Whether it’s our body, the things we own, our relationships, or even our thoughts, we tend to put on metaphorical weight over time. 🔘 Maybe it’s time to hit The Reset Button. P.S. If you enjoyed this post, would you please comment, like, and repost? The algorithm hates this type of content.

When I’m hiking in bear country and I come across an Anxious Annie wearing bells to scare off bears, I always use the same joke: “Do you know what bears call those? Dinner bells!” Anyway, some people have no sense of humor.