As the pressure builds in St. Paul over a potential special legislative session on gun control, a parallel crisis continues to unfold — one involving massive Medicaid fraud allegations that show no signs of slowing down. In the span of just a few weeks, state officials have cut off funding to 28 separate organizations — 11 disability programs and 17 health providers — all suspected of defrauding Minnesota’s Medicaid system. This follows multiple indictments in both autism and housing service programs, as well as the fallout from the $280 million “Feeding Our Future” scandal, one of the largest fraud cases in state history.
So where does this leave us? Caught between high-profile fraud, partisan blame games, and stalled action on gun violence, Minnesotans are watching state leadership juggle two of the most sensitive issues facing the public — trust in government and public safety — and doing little to build that trust back.
A Crisis of Confidence in Public Programs
The sheer scope of the fraud allegations is staggering. At a time when many disabled Minnesotans are struggling to access services, and communities are underfunded and underserved, the revelation that tens — or even hundreds — of millions may have been siphoned off through abuse of state programs is a gut punch. What’s worse is that this isn’t a one-off incident. These schemes have unfolded across different sectors:
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Disability and personal care assistance programs
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Autism therapy services
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Public housing and rent-assistance initiatives
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And of course, nutrition and youth programs as seen in the Feeding Our Future debacle
Every one of these programs was designed to support the state’s most vulnerable — and yet, they’ve been exploited under the watch of elected officials who now seem more focused on pointing fingers than delivering solutions.
The Political Football: Who’s to Blame?
Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, insists he’s done everything within his authority to stop fraud. He points out that he even lost a court battle trying to shut down a problematic program — a rare admission that even when action was taken, institutional constraints worked against him. But Republicans are seizing the moment, calling the fraud wave “a failure of leadership.” House Speaker Lisa Demuth (R–Cold Spring) is leading that charge, stating:
“We’ve got to stop this from the beginning. We need to look at the internal controls and safeguards.”
Demuth, whose name is being floated as a possible 2026 gubernatorial candidate, is positioning herself as a no-nonsense reformer — but one who, notably, is not supporting increased oversight of guns, only of government services. And to that point, citizens have every right to raise a critical question:
Should we even be focused on gun oversight right now — or are we missing the bigger issue?
We've turned our attention to gun control time and time again, after tragedies in the media shake us into momentary awareness only because those tragedies involve people who look like us. But is there truly a lack of gun control in Minnesota? Or are we misallocating the resources that taxpayers have already provided to protect us from gun violence?
Is it possible that the very systems funded to safeguard our communities from gun violence are themselves contributing to it, either through neglect, mismanagement, or even direct participation? Has any tax-funded research or investigation been applied to acquiring answers to this question for the benefit of all Minnesotans?
Are we dealing with a crisis of gunmen, gun models, and gun access, or have the results of investigative solutions already revealed that are we facing a deeper crisis within ourselves? Are we wasting even more of the public’s money by calling for a special session on gun oversight? Have we not grown accustomed to cycling through bureaucratic paperwork — clinging to the illusion that controlling paper and controlling paper enforcement will somehow resolve problems we’re actually too fearful to confront?
The proof is, the issues continue to spiral out of control — even as we double down on paperwork, processes, and performance. But what if the real issue isn’t the lack of control on paper, but our unwillingness to confront the out-of-control nature of ourselves? What if the deeper problem lies in our refusal to equitably and responsibly enforce the laws and protections we already have?
What if the root of our collective downfall isn’t policy failure or political division, but something deeper? What if it’s our prioritized loyalty to the flawed ideology of false entitlement to destroy, and the false privilege to neglect — especially when operating in official capacities — that is killing us all?
What if the real danger isn’t in the acts we condemn, but in the ones we excuse, overlook, or authorize because of who commits them, and from where? If we knew this was the case, would we have the courage to confront and correct those widely accepted behaviors in order to save our empire? Or would we ensure our empire meets it fate by doing what we've already done?
If every solution had to be funded directly from our own personal income — not taxpayer dollars — would we still propose the same slow-moving, self-preserving policies? Would we still pretend that meetings and legislation alone, where we don't say what needs to be said and we silence the one's with the love for all in their hearts, to courageously say what must be said to arrive at collective solutions, can solve what action and accountability we have long been avoiding?
Do we have the courage to ask whether the violence we fear is the result of our own cultural decisions showing up on our doorstep — decisions we justified when the violence was happening to someone else’s home whom we have chosen not to see ourselves in despite them being humans just like us? Are we ready to confront the ways we excuse ourselves when we’re the ones perpetrating the harm? Do we have the competency, as good leaders, to allow someone else to lead the ship after all that we have tried ourselves has failed or are our ego's fatally too sensitive to take this action?
Do we truly want safer neighborhoods, safer workplaces, safer states, and a safer nation? Or have we grown comfortable to applying the same failed responses — the same hollow rituals — that we've relied on since we first lost our children at Columbine?
How many Band-Aids does it take to stop a rusted pipe from leaking water?
That’s the question. And if we don’t start removing those band-aides, and cutting out that portion of the pipe, to fix it up correctly — not just patching it as the water rises — the house may not survive, the very foundation upon which the house was constructed may slip away.
Meanwhile, the Gun Debate Heats Up
While Medicaid fraud dominates headlines, attention has been moved to this manufactured fighting rather than unification: gun control. Polls show a clear majority of Minnesotans — 53% — support a ban on assault-style weapons, with only 35% opposed. Yet the issue remains stuck in neutral as GOP lawmakers push back hard on DFL efforts to call a special session. Sidebar: here's a thought— popular vote ballots on the major issues we face like gun control, military spending, military engagement and presidency. As well as a fresh, updated look on how we govern—when we see all over the nation and on both sides of the isle that electing leadership does not result in the formation or reformation of governing issues in the way that Americans want. Governor Walz and Democratic legislative leaders want to vote on two major proposals:
- A ban on assault-style weapons
- A ban on high-capacity magazines
But Republicans, including Demuth, have drawn a line in the sand. Instead of gun restrictions, they’re calling for more resources for mental health — a position that critics say is more about deflection than prevention.
It's laughable really, because the Department of Human Services (DHS) handles so much of the programming and payment for mental health in the state of Minnesota and the only institutions that don't have large enough internal investment in resources and requirements for mental health are the government and institutional bodies.
There are literally, mental health resources ingrained into all societal platforms in Minnesota from education, housing, transportation to employment—not so much for elected officials, police departments, court systems, public defender and the likes.
And purpose does mental health resources actually serve when nearly have of the population does have safe space within the realm of psychology to unpack the lasting injuries of systematic racism and injustice which means the other portion does not have any education or tools to address the aggression and justification of perpetuating it — and what were seeing is our intentional neglect of addressing that aggression not only target the victims we've given car blanch to attack to attack but target those who stand by the allowance of that permission.
Legal Abuse Syndrome (LAS), a form of psycholegal post-traumatic stress disorder, must become an official DSM-5 independent diagnosis caused by systematic racism and social injustice—since "law" has been at the foundation of every national aggression since the incarnation and establishment of the nation, particularly the U.S.–Dakota War and U.S. Civil Wars tied to Fort Snelling, Minnesota.
By giving the targeted victims of systematic racism and social injustice space within psychology to address these injuries and damages, we create both the educational and experiential requirement for psychologists to address these behaviors.
That means taking the conversations associated with their careers home to their families. And that means unpacking our nation's past, recognizing our impact on others, and not allowing ourselves to separate one foundational American human being's experience from our own foundational American human experience—and as such, dismantling our legacy of violence altogether with education, support, and control together as a nation.
It means having the courage not to lie—to stop playing small simply because we were taught to play small—about our greatest fear being that we are inadequate, but bursting out of chains to face the fact that our greatest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. Our state can once again be at the forefront of the development of the United States by having the courage to enter a New World Order of total peace and prosperity through total human equality—first and foremost, through tangible and formal acknowledgement, and accountability, for our failures, and then through tangible equity to the human beings we have violated, rather than to the institutions we have erected, with regard to the lasting impact of those failures.
"The Twenty First Century Is Calling for Atonement."
Racial inequality and racial violence have been the legacy of this nation's most devastating violence. Courageously step up to the podium on behalf of Minnesotans and on behalf of Americans for the preservation of this nation and say:
"We did it!"
"We are guilty!"
"We are broken!"
"We are spiraling — together — but our great Christian nation is not lost!"
We denounce our mistakes. We extend our deepest apologies, sympathies, and condolences to Minnesota's Black population—descendants of America's legacy of chattel slavery. As a measure for America’s future, we will be extending tax-free direct deposits to all of Minnesota’s Black residents descended from chattel slavery (as of the day of this announcement), in symbolic honor of our outstanding debt of 40 acres and a mule. Minnesota embraces the fiscal responsibility of our dollar — which bears the words "In God We Trust" — as a solemn oath to safeguard the future of all Minnesotans with the highest level of integrity. It has been written in our Christian scripture that: "A house divided cannot stand." And we evidence of this fact in Empires that have come and gone before us. [The Collapse of Roman Empire]We take this measure to bring the state of Minnesota together and stand to face our bright place in this nation’s future — together. The state of Minnesota hereby calls for peace — here and now. We also seek to strengthen our relationship with our German partners, looking to their example for guidance in meeting this challenge. And I’ll say it again: "A house divided against itself cannot stand."
This is not the hour to arrogantly lean on our own understanding. The bell tolls to concede to God's. Take it down. Take division down. Stop pretending that we do not know where our most expensive divisions are festering—we absolutely know where these costly slights are occurring; we always have. All it takes is courage and commitment to say — not today — when it arises.
Bring Minnesotans together, and it’s only going to create greater defense against those who insist on division. Bring Minnesotans together, and watch our wealth expand.
Take some of that wealth and remove the Quadriga from the top of the Capitol building, and:
A.) reposition it to a statue on the lawn alongside one of the following:
1. Replace the Quadriga, at its current location and sculpture style with a depiction of an Indigenous Chief, a representative of the Scott family, and representatives of European settlers on either side—standing hand in hand above a diverse group of children, frolicking together in unity.
2. Put nothing where the Quadriga used to be. Instead, paint a larger than life mural encompassing the interior walls of the Capitol that would depict an Indigenous Chief and their family at a table—with nine Indigenous individuals behind them—the Scott family at a table, with nine Black Americans behind them, and representatives of European settler families at a table, with nine white Americans behind them. All are seated together in reverence within the same hall, with equal amounts of dollars and coins placed on the tables before them. At the center of the room, an oversized bill symbolizes unity—much like the depiction on the back of the two-dollar note—representing an equal agreement among these three foundational American populations with the most pivotal role in the formation of the United States.
Do this so that everyone entering that building can clearly see the history and mission of what takes place within its walls—not merely a reflection of themselves, but a reminder of the foundational power rooted in this land: "One nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all."
What Minnesotans Want
The legislation that Minnesotans want to see executed is this: the Commissioner of the Department of Human Services should become a ballot choice, no longer an appointment. Why don't we turn our focus to putting that to a simple, cost effective one-hour vote — instead of calling a special session on gun violence? If we can afford a special session, let it be for the overdue issue of atonement for our past, for the benefit of our future. Let us put aside our quiet adaptation to being ordinary, and once again rise to the challenge of being extraordinary. Make Minnesota great — completely — for the first time.
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But what lawmakers are saying is:
“What we have to look at, though, is motivating people who want to hurt others,” Demuth recently told reporters.
So, let us — genuinely and thoroughly, for once because rhetoric of mental health is a common refrain — but critics note that while mental health funding is desperately needed, it’s not an either/or solution. Most Americans need both: better mental health systems and commonsense gun reform. The failure to act on one doesn’t excuse the failure to act on the other so let's stop wasting money and replace that old rusted pipe.
A Deeper Pattern: Mismanagement, Distraction, and Delay
When you look at these twin crises — rampant fraud and inaction on gun violence — the throughline is clear: broken systems, lack of accountability, social and political avoidance. Fraud in state programs isn’t just about criminal greed; it’s about systemic vulnerabilities that no one in power wants to truly fix, because fixing them means confronting the inefficiencies, underregulation, and contracting practices that fuel corruption which stem first and foremost, from our nations foundational legacy of division at the settlement, transatlantic enslavement and evolving legislation and social culture that echoes our foundational behavior, as settlers and tribes.
Gun violence, likewise, is met not with urgency but with ideological rigidity — a refusal to respond to public will, even in the face of mass shootings and rising gun deaths. It raises the question: What exactly is the Minnesota legislature waiting for?
Why is there always enough political will to investigate fraud after the money is gone, but never enough to prevent it in the first place?
Why do leaders rush to blame each other — but stall every time it comes to acting for the public good?
What about the victims of these programs
What about the ones who had the courage to report fraud to agencies like the Department of Human Services, the Department of Appeals and Regulations, the Attorney General's Office, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Health, the Office of African American Health, the ACLU, Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, or the Disability Law Center?
What about all these so-called protective agencies in Minnesota? What is the actual number of complaints made by victims in these programs that crossed the desks of officials in the above offices? Literally — what are the numbers?
How are they recorded if complaints aren’t considered “formal” at the time they are lodged? If excessive information is collected about the victims, vague guidelines are applied, and yet stringent denials follow — all as a consequence of victims simply seeking protection — how are these systems functioning in good faith?
In the case of DHS, for example, if victims aren’t even allowed to file firsthand reports or see those reports themselves, then how can anyone know the real numbers ahead of time, outside of media scandals, to stop crime? Especially when those scandals end up rewarding the very individuals, agencies, and legislators who appointed the employees responsible for preventing the fraud — with promotions and sole internal discretion to allegedly manage the same fraud they failed to stop in the first place?
What are lawmakers even discussing when the very individuals who oversaw these failures are still employed? As for the specifics — who approved the applications, who authorized the checks — their names remain hidden from the media. Are we, the public, just supposed to assume they’re not currently authorizing more fraud or issuing more payments as these scandals unfold? If those responsible for hiring and managing that workforce remain in their positions, why wouldn't their employees still be there too? Isn't it a farce — isn’t all of it a farce? Aren't Minnesota lawmakers are putting on a theatrical performance for the sake of public optics — one that’s being funded by the very people they continue to fail.
And again we ask — what about the innocent citizens who were victims of these programs? Where are they now—as their medical treatment and essential services have already been delayed or denied? We hear nothing from the professionals involved about them — not their status, not their well-being — only talk of punishing them further with program closures and tighter restrictions, as if they were the ones responsible.
As if they were the DHS employees who allowed this fraud to happen, or the programs that exploited a DHS system we’ve long known — through public class action lawsuits dating back to at least 2009 — to be abusive, exploitative, and criminal in its treatment of the very people it was supposed to serve and took very small portions of DHS's annual multibillion budget for themselves knowing that this is a state department with its tentacles in everything, with everyone's hands in the pot claiming a portion and no intention of stopping this legacy of misappropriation and missing DHS funds that at some point we must stop treating as scandal and address as a system. Is seventeen years of scandal not enough for Minnesotans?
- Where are the victims of these programs now?
- What are they facing?
- How are they surviving?
- Have they ever had a real platform to speak?
- Have they made public pleas before — and if so, why are their faces and first-person narratives missing from the media conversation right now?
Do you believe anyone could truly perform as a contributing member of society — paying into the tax system at an equal level — if they were bound and chained, both socioeconomically and legally? Would their inability to do so even register as a concern for the state if that “binding and chaining” came with an automatic billion‑dollar budget attached to the system that keeps them there? These are not rhetorical questions. They’re the kinds of questions Minnesotans might benefit from critically examining right now.
What Minnesotans Deserve
The people of Minnesota deserve:
- Real oversight of state funding, not just reactive audits after the damage is done
- Transparency in how fraud investigations are handled — and which agencies or officials failed to act
- Legislative courage to act on both financial fraud and public safety
- Gun laws that reflect the will of the majority, not the stubbornness of a few
Until then, the public is left watching millions stolen from public programs and deadly weapons still easy to obtain — while the debate in St. Paul devolves into little more than finger-pointing and campaign posturing.
Politics is not just about who to blame. It’s about who steps up when it matters most. Right now, Minnesota is still waiting.
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