Minnesotan Public Notice - Life Will Need Something Else Besides Instead of Democracy
By: Jim Homyak
30 January 2026
Dear Minnesotan friends and neighbors,
Lately, our downtown on Mondays has been loud with slogans, picket signs, and blame shifting.
Some folks say republicanism is the cause of every problem around here. Others shout back with their own signs. But no matter which way the fingers point, the potholes don’t fill themselves, the broken systems don’t repair themselves, and the people who need help don’t always get it from a 210/169 demonstration, with some definite exceptions duly noted.
Democracy gives us a ballot box, but it doesn’t give us the skills, the discipline, or the shared purpose needed to fix the real problems in front of us at the place we call home. Voting alone won’t thaw a frozen pipe, repair a failing furnace, stabilize a rural network, or rebuild trust in a community that’s been stretched thin.
Democracy is often regarded as the political thing that decides who gets to make decisions. But it does not teach us how to solve anything. Democracy is not a skill builder. We once had a republic. But that needed skills in order to keep it.
And for generations, Minnesota has lacked something essential: a true local forum where neighbors gather to take responsibility for the land, the soil, and the community itself. All the way back to 1858, Minnesotans never developed a dedicated state assembly focused on local stewardship and practical problem‑solving. Before May 2020, the state's legislature was the de facto municipal, civil and statutory body which had taken the place of the missing de jure state assembly. After May 2020, we now have a new State Assembly and it is open for everyone very nearby.
Re‑establishing something like that — a place where people meet face‑to‑face to handle the work of their own community and state — would be a meaningful step toward rebuilding what has faded over the ages after the 1860's. Early American civic life depended on local participation, and that spirit is still worth keeping. We will get nowhere fast if we keep turning it all over to government to fix everything. That mindset leads to billions of dollars in lost wealth, handed over to foreigners.
Minnesota’s challenges — technical, social, and environmental — demand something more than elections and slogans. They demand people who show up, roll up their sleeves, and take responsibility for the work that keeps a community standing. Preferably without counting up the sales invoice first.
- What we need now is a culture of competence.
- A culture of generosity.
- A culture of people who fix things instead of arguing about them.
Our challenges — from public safety to infrastructure to caring for vulnerable people — won’t be solved by shouting “Save Survivors Not Pedophiles,” or any other slogan, no matter how strongly someone feels about it. Signs don’t replace solutions. Anger doesn’t replace competence. And political labels don’t replace the work that needs doing. Religion, in and of itself, is also not a skill-builder for an active community.
This is a call to every Minnesotan who knows how to repair, build, teach, troubleshoot, or simply lend a steady hand. Our future depends on the people willing to do the work, not just talk about it. People who can organize, communicate, mobilize and be ready always. Originally, that was the role of a well-organized state militia as our first responders.
Democracy, for some, is like the steering wheel.
But we townsfolk are the engine.
Democratic ideals can still be a framework of sorts.
But they are not the fix. Time proves this.
See the many other postings I've made and the thoughtful works of lots of people in this USOA portal.
Many of them have got an inkling that something newer such as The American States Assemblies is one solid avenue to explore without even a hint of proselytizing. Let’s get to work at doing things which are learned through doing, not through doctrine.
Jim Homyak
Publisher, USOA
P.S. Proselytizing isn’t automatically “bad,” but it can become harmful depending on how it’s done and what the intent is. The word itself simply means trying to persuade someone to adopt your belief, viewpoint, or cause. That can be religious, political, ideological, or even lifestyle‑based. The real issue is the method, not the act itself.
When proselytizing becomes a problem:
It tends to go wrong when it:
• pressures people instead of inviting them
• treats disagreement as ignorance
• assumes moral superiority
• disrupts community
