July 29: Life is good® to be Featured on NBC's 'Today Show'

GoodBiz113's take: Check out this segment, featuring one of our all-time favorite profilees!
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Al Franken Kicks Off Weeklong Statewide Tour, Offers New Solutions to Ease the Middle-Class Squeeze

This morning, U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken unveiled new common-sense solutions to ease the squeeze on Minnesota's middle class. Franken discussed his new proposals at a campaign rally that attracted hundreds of people outside the locally owned Harvest Moon Coffee House in his hometown of St. Louis Park, kicking off a week of traveling the state to contrast these common-sense solutions with the disastrous Bush-Coleman economic legacy.

"Norm Coleman wants to stay the course with the Bush economic 'plan,'" said Franken. "But that 'plan' has put Minnesota's middle class into a deep hole – and it's time to stop digging.

"The solutions I'm proposing today will help Minnesotans care for their kids and aging loved ones, balance work and family, and save for retirement. Easing the middle-class squeeze isn't just about helping those who are suffering in the Bush-Coleman Recession. It's about restoring the sense of hope and opportunity that my family enjoyed when I was growing up in St. Louis Park."

After sharing a few horror stories he's heard along the campaign trail -- e.g., one about an independent trucker who now nets just $200 per week, thanks to astronomical gas prices -- Franken offered three new proposals:
* Kitchen Table Tax Relief: A set of tax credits designed to ease the burden on families caring for children or elderly loved ones
* 21st Century Family Leave: A new family leave policy to address 21st-century family structures
* The 401[U]: A revolutionary new type of retirement account to help every Minnesotan develop long-term financial security

More details on these proposals is available at www.alfranken.com/easethesqueeze.

Franken's next stops on this week's statewide tour include the following:
* July 22, 11:00 - 11:45 a.m.: Duluth -- Beaner's Central Concert Coffeehouse, 324 N. Central Avenue
* July 22, 3:00 - 3:30 p.m.: Cambridge -- DFL Offices, 237 2nd Avenue SW
* July 23, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: Rochester -- Rochester Labor Center, 11 4th Street SE
* July 23, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.: Burnsville -- Ironwood Electronics, 11351 Rupp Drive, Suite 400
* July 24, 1:15 - 2:15 p.m.: St. Cloud -- Mississippi Bean & Tea Co., 819 W. Germain St.

GoodBiz113's take: Skol to you, Al Franken! Your innovative proposals deserve serious consideration and buy-in by citizen-voters, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and current and would-be elected officials at all levels of government. The very fact that you chose a small business from which to announce these solutions to help lift the beleaguered middle class, speaks volumes about your purely good intentions and actionable ideas for much-needed change. Minnesotans are fortunate that you're willing to represent them in the U.S. Senate.

SOURCE: Al Franken for Senate
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Franken Announces New Labor Endorsements

Today, the Al Franken for U.S. Senate campaign announced that four new labor organizations have joined its ever-growing coalition that's fighting to send a senator to Washington who will stand with Minnesota's middle class.

The endorsements come on the heels of a false negative ad produced by a Norm Coleman front group, attacking Al Franken for his support of the Employee Free Choice Act. Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Coleman continues to repeat publicly the lie that EFCA "eliminates the secret ballot" for workers.

Today's new endorsements include:
* Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Union
* Minnesota State Council of UNITE HERE!
* Minnesota Postal Workers Union
* Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, Local Union 1

"Minnesotans need a senator who understands the needs of Minnesota families, and who won't abandon them in a time of need," declared Mark Froemke, education director of the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Union, Local 167G.

"Norm Coleman had a chance to support the families of the Red River Valley on CAFTA and, instead, he supported President Bush," Froemke noted. "Al Franken will stand with farmers and workers and Minnesotans, and that's why we stand with him in this election."

"Unlike Norm Coleman, Al Franken is a candidate who will never privatize social security and will continue to fight for the middle class and workers' rights," added Jim Lundquist, president and secretary-treasurer of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, Local Union 1.

For a complete list of Franken's endorsements , including elected officials, visit: Al Franken for U.S. Senate.

SOURCES: AFL-CIO, Al Franken for U.S. Senate, Wikipedia
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Minnesota Native Al Franken Files to Run for U.S. Senate

Today, Al Franken officially filed with the Minnesota Secretary of State to run for the U.S. Senate.

Franken was joined by his wife, Franni [pictured], his daughter, Thomasin, and more than 100 cheering supporters on the steps of the Minnesota State Office Building.

"I would say I'm excited to get to work," said Al Franken. "But we're already working hard to spread our message of ending the war, rebuilding our economy, and fixing our broken health care system across the state. I'm so proud to have my family, my team, and my coalition for change standing alongside me -- and I'm ready to go to Washington to stand up for the people of Minnesota."

DFL-endorsed Franken -- a true ally of small business, farmers, labor, environmentalists, educators, students, soldiers, veterans, consumers and countless others seeking a new direction for our nation -- was born in St. Louis Park, Minn. He's challenging Sen. Norm Coleman, a Democrat-turned-Republican from Brooklyn, N.Y., for the seat once held by the late Sen. Paul Wellstone, who died in a plane crash in October 2002.

SOURCE: Al Franken for U.S. Senate
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To learn more about Al Franken's politics, check out his New York Times bestseller, "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right."