By the Numbers

As a youngster, I enjoyed art “by the numbers.” Mosaics by the numbers, paintings by the numbers—they were as close as I could come to being artistic. I enjoyed the way a full picture emerged slowly step by step.

A picture is worth a thousand words, as the saying goes, but filling in the numbers is what made the picture emerge for me. I’m still not an artist, but I can see a picture emerging by the numbers across the country, around Minnesota, and in Cass County. It’s a picture of current pain and uncertainty followed by hope and activism for change.

Here’s a sampling of the numbers that shape that picture.

Nationally:

• $1 billion per day and death and injury for our brave men and women in uniform for the war in Iran

• 33,000,000 estimated to have lost access to Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) since January 2025

• 2 million to 4.8 million Americans are estimated to have lost health insurance as of early 2026, primarily driven by the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credit

• 4.9 to 10.1 million Americans are projected to lose Medicaid coverage by 2028 due to new work requirements and increased eligibility checks

• $2.64 trillion added to the gross national debt since March 2025

• 3,100+ NO KINGS! rallies on March 28, drawing an estimated 8 million unpaid protesters

• 2 dozen or more seats flipped from Republican to Democratic in Republican areas or battleground states since the 2024 election

In Minnesota:

• 3,000 ICE and Border Patrol agents surging into Minnesota to arrest and detain the “worst of the worst”

• 3,700 or more immigrants detained, over 60% of whom had no criminal convictions or pending charges; only ¼ of whom had criminal records, including those with only traffic violations or unlawful entry records

• 2 anti-surge protesters killed by Border Patrol agents and unknown numbers of protesters tear- gassed and traumatized

• 150,000 Minnesotans (approximately) expected to lose Medical Assistance (Medicaid) or public health insurance coverage starting in 2026–2027 due to federal legislation and policy changes

• 116,000 more Minnesotans without health insurance in 2025 as compared to 2023; the 2025 rate of 5.8% uninsured rate is the highest since 2017

• 100,000+ protesters (all unpaid) at the nation’s flagship NO KINGS! site in St. Paul, more than 100 registered sites throughout Minnesota

• 1,000s of spontaneous anti-ICE protestors and neighbors helping neighbors in Minneapolis alone

• 1 city—Minneapolis and its people—nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize

• 35,000+ people attending Democratic precinct caucuses on February 3, nearly half of whom were attending their first caucus.

  
  

In Cass County:

• 22.8% (approximately) of Cass County residents have Medicaid coverage as of 2023, indicating a high potential for loss of coverage as Medicaid rules change in 2027

• About 7.7% to 9.9% of Cass County residents are uninsured, as of early 2026

• 250-300 unpaid NO KINGS! protesters in Hackensack on March 28; 20-25 counter-protesters (presumably also unpaid)

• 100 people attended the February 28 forum of candidates seeking DFL endorsement for the Eighth Congressional District seat

• Triple the number of DFL caucus goers in 2026 as compared to 2024, which was a presidential election year.

  
  

For me, these numbers paint a picture, too. In the foreground are ordinary people from across the country, around the state, and within Cass County who are enduring significant personal pain, suffering, and uncertainty. Surrounding and supporting these people are the hundreds of thousands (millions nationwide) who have taken on risk to speak truth to power on behalf of those who can’t.

These different parts of the picture blend and blur into each other because there is no clear separation between those who are hurting and those who are speaking out.

Throughout the picture, I see courage, commitment, and activism that will lead to a better future and give meaning and hope in the present.

Thank you to every single person who has stepped up to help neighbors, write letters to the editor, rally against authoritarianism, and engage in our political processes. You make a huge positive difference for all of us!

by Barbara Keinath