05/15/2008 12:00 AM It’s crunch time at the State Capitol. With less than a week until the end of the 2008 legislative session, conference committees are finishing their work and we’re taking final votes on the bills we’ve worked on all session. Unlike some years, this session has been productive right from the start and we’re on pace to finish on time once again.
05/15/2008 12:00 AM My elementary school-aged nieces frequently ask for my support for various school fundraising events. I have noticed that instead of trying to raise funds to purchase playground equipment or library books, as I did as a child, my nieces are raising money for independent corporations for “earning” gifts.”
05/15/2008 12:00 AM Unlike a 1961 history book that advised that there is no reason for ethical behavior unless it is fun or profitable, the 1966 civics book seemed to reverse positions and claimed, “We keep a strong military to discourage attack.” It actually added, “We pray for peace but keep our powder dry.” (I have heard a Republican politician quote that line in recent months about Iraq or our general aggressive foreign policy.)
05/15/2008 12:00 AM As the 2008 session of the Minnesota Legislature nears its final hours, the prospect of a deadlocked conclusion looms large. The DFL-controlled Legislature and Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty are at loggerheads over how to solve a $935 million state budget hole.
05/14/2008 12:00 AM A very un-Minnesota thing has happened to our state tax code over the past decade — taxes have become less fair and more regressive. That’s because we’ve shifted more and more of the responsibility for paying for the things we value — education, health care, transportation and public safety — onto local property taxes, one of the most regressive forms of taxation there is.
05/14/2008 12:00 AM I’m not sure when or how Mr. Gray made it through the detour in “7.5” minutes, especially during rush hour. As part of my job, I need to get from Bemidji Avenue North to the Industrial Park during the day. It currently takes me 20-30 minutes. Lines of cars are backed up from the Second Street light back to Ace Hardware; or from the light on 15th Street, back nearly to Walgreen’s. What are we going to see during tourist season? It will definitely cost the downtown businesses and out-of-towners who will most likely think twice before coming back to a town that has such a mess.
05/14/2008 12:00 AM I recently had the pleasure of listening to the wise words of Winona LaDuke when she spoke at BSU’s Student Achievement Conference. Her descriptions of White Earth Reservation’s intelligent planning to utilize clean energy through wind and solar, revive the local economy (see “Native Harvest”), and make a priority of student health and local food security through “farm to school” programs drew admiring applause.
05/14/2008 12:00 AM Monday was an important day for Bemidji as high-ranking state officials proclaimed the Bemidji community as a regional center with vision, one that leads from the bottom up, not the top down.
05/13/2008 12:00 AM I was honored to have had the opportunity to be a part of the recent Vietnam Memorial held at the Bemidji waterfront. It was heartwarming to see so many people come out to honor those called upon to fight for our country.
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