Don’t repeat baseless attacks on climate scientists
It’s vital for newspapers to do more than just repeat what’s being said, but to show real news judgment. There’s an old joke that if one group tries to claim that the Earth is flat, a newspaper would report, “Earth’s Shape: Views Differ.”
Girl Scout politics less than sweet
I’ve seen more than a few boxes of Do-Si-Dos and Samoas around lately. It’s hard to look askance at the Girl Scouts when there’s so much sweetness in the air. But there is reason for keeping the Girl Scouts out of the “mom and apple pie” category. For one thing, the organization has a think tank, a nongovernmental organization and a welcome mat out to Planned Parenthood.
Prevailing wage survey skewed to favor union rates
Jon Hall is incorrect about prevailing wages not being a union issue. It is true that a survey is done, but the methodology of the survey is skewed to favor union wage rates. It is a voluntary survey. Union contractors have a very high level of motivation to respond.
The last thing we need
An executive for the Sierra Nevada Corp., a defense contractor based in Nevada, wanted to know why he should contribute $20,000 to Rep. Peter Visclosky, an Indiana Democrat. A colleague replied that Sierra Nevada was working with PMA, a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm, to curry favor with Visclosky, a key member of the subcommittee that funded defense projects.
Pioneer Guest Editorial: Open government records to Internet
Every day, the federal government releases vast amounts of useful information about every aspect of our nation and how government works. This public information has a deep impact on almost every aspect of American life. Some of it can be used to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions, or have a profound effect on health, economic development and commerce. The problem is, much of this government information is too often hard to find, difficult to understand, expensive to obtain in useful formats, and available in only a few locations.
Despite delegate mixup, DFL chairman gets nod
As the article, in March 2’s paper stated, 16 DFLer’s were “left without a voice” at the county convention. Mr. Steve Nelson was the convention chairman who declared these 16 individuals at first viable and then later ineligible.
Minnesota should consider nuclear power
With interest in such a great diversity of potential energy sources from solar to wind and biofuels like ethanol and biomass, it would seem that states like Minnesota, which recently mandated that by 2025 a quarter of the state’s electricity be generated by renewable sources, would at least allow one more option to be brought to the table for discussion, especially when that option has been successfully powering 60 other countries for years and is making great strides in efficiency.
Foreign banks hold too many U.S. mortgages
Does anyone in Bemidji realize that the banks and investment companies foreclose on average 50 homes a month? Compare this to all the small and large towns around the United States. it is a staggering amount. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the FHA will need billions in this year to settle all accounts. There will be more banks going under and now the government is telling the banks they will cover the losses. The government is not covering the loss, the American citizens are. Everyone blames AIG for receiving so much money from the stimulus program.
Lawrence fought to correct American Indian abuse
It was in the early 1990s and I was involved in city politics in Minneapolis. Earlier, I moved from a small township in north central North Dakota almost a decade before — to search for a new life away from the reservation.
Toyota, Japan’s General Motors too big to fail
When I was a lad, growing up in the shadow of the Ford Rouge plant in Detroit, Japan was known for the manufacture of junky products — cheap knickknacks and toys that broke in your hand.
Congress, Obama can score big success on school reform
Congress has a chance — a narrowing one, given the calendar — to prove it can do something important on a bipartisan basis: recommit the country to school reform.
Pioneer Editorial: House bans earmarks to for-profits
President Barack Obama, when he took office, promised to instill the highest ethical standards and bring utmost transparency to government. We’re still struggling to see both, but the U.S. House took a positive step forward Wednesday by banning the use of earmarks to steer direct federal subsidies to private companies.
Participation in 2010 Census is essential
Ten questions that can be completed in 10 minutes — the U.S. Census doesn’t sound like much but its importance can’t be overstated: In 2008, the last year for which data is available, Minnesota received more than $7 billion based on the decennial headcount, accounting for a fifth of the state’s annual revenue.
Prisons: Public versus private
As the state grapples with a budget deficit the size of the Grand Canyon this session, lawmakers are charged with filling the gapping hole and creating a balanced budget. Proposed “money-saving” ideas run the gamut from removing bottled water from state agencies to mandatory furloughs. However, one proposal, that recurs nearly every session, creates a stir that almost no other issue can. Privately run prisons.
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