Transportation: delays, delays, delays- December 29, 2006 If you aren't sick of delays in transportation projects yet, here's another one. The Wakota bridge will be delayed another year while the state finds a new contractor. Originally scheduled to open next year, it will now be completed in 2009 at the earliest.It may be the engineering firm's fault that designed the bridge incorrectly, but that is little consolation to drivers.http://minnpolitics.blogspot.com/2006/12/transportation-delays-delays-delays.html Silence- December 28, 2006 For various reasons, thinking about politics right now is unpleasant. Maybe this will change soon, but no guarantees.http://minnpolitics.blogspot.com/2006/12/silence.html Can they get any dumber- December 20, 2006 When you talk of politicians in high office, are there more plain idiotic Democrats or Republicans I tend to think the latter. There may be some crazy Democrats out there, but no Democrats would say something as stupid as implying that Muslims will overrun the country if Keith Ellison doesn't use a Bible at his swearing-in photo-op.This whole Keith Ellison swearing-in issue has been hilarious if for no other reason than it has exposed the reptile brains of many Republicans. Plus, for the more...http://minnpolitics.blogspot.com/2006/12/can-they-get-any-dumber.html What do we need- December 17, 2006 Yes, the retirement of the boomers means that Minnesota and every other state are going to be facing problems attracting new workers. What do we need to succeedThe way I see it, we need several things: education, diversity, tolerance, and an entrepreneurial work ethic. The Lori Sturdevant column talks about education, which is a good and necessary first step, but it's not all. We are getting more and more diversity, as long as we don't shoot ourselves in the foot by treating newcomers like...http://minnpolitics.blogspot.com/2006/12/what-do-we-need.html Yet Another War- December 17, 2006 From the looks of things, it appears that the U.S. is going to be using the same tactics in the War on Illegal Immigrants as they use in the War on Drugs. If so, the results are going to be similar: destruction of families and communities, overwhelmed judicial systems, and no progress made against the root cause of the problem.It doesn't appear that the government is taking any action against Swift for employing illegal immigrants. No huge fines for every illegal immigrant they find. Instead,...http://minnpolitics.blogspot.com/2006/12/yet-another-war.html McCain-Pawlenty will not happen- December 14, 2006 Give it up, people: McCain-Pawlenty will not happen. Not in a million years. There are two reasons for this.First, McCain is not trusted by the far-right base of the Republican Party. He is not trusted on abortion. He is not trusted on immigration. He is not trusted on taxes. There is no way that the base would put up with McCain, a person they do not trust, choosing another now-heretical former conservative as Vice President. A ticket that the base would see as consisting of two RINOs Not...http://minnpolitics.blogspot.com/2006/12/mccain-pawlenty-will-not-happen.html More whining- December 13, 2006 Liquor sales should be allowed in grocery stores. They should be allowed seven days a week. They should be allowed 24 hours a day. And no government anywhere should run a liquor store.I don't care how much money it raises for cities. The government should not get into retail, period. That's not a function of government. Get the money somewhere else.http://minnpolitics.blogspot.com/2006/12/more-whining.html Random thoughts- December 13, 2006 Some random, comment-induced thoughts:I don't when anybody prays regardless of their race, as long as it isn't government-sanctioned. I simply don't care about the religious beliefs of the vast majority of people out there. I care when it moves into the political realm, true, but praying Give me a break.Saying that we don't need a smoking ban to protect employees because "they know what they are getting into" has to be one of the most ridiculous arguments out there. That argument implies that...http://minnpolitics.blogspot.com/2006/12/random-thoughts.html Posturing Pawlenty- December 13, 2006 The liberalizing of Tim Pawlenty continues. This time, it is calling for renewable energy. He wants a quarter of all energy used in the state to come from renewable sources by 2025. He wants more E85, more money for research into producing ethanol from crops other than corn, and a reduction in fossil fuel use. He supports fining energy companies that don't comply, and tosses aside conservative concerns about regulation.Once again, these are all great ideas that I support (with the possible...http://minnpolitics.blogspot.com/2006/12/posturing-pawlenty.html Smoking ban- December 10, 2006 A statewide smoking ban is now more likely in the next year, and I definitely welcome this. It's about time.The article quotes naysayer Tom Emmer, who continues to add to his credentials as craziest Republican in the House (with Michelle Bachmann gone, there will be a new craziest senator). Completely ignoring the realities of secondhand smoke, he says "If this is what government is for, let's go to the next step -- why not cheeseburgers" Well, I don't know, Rep. Emmer. If you walked into a bar.http://minnpolitics.blogspot.com/2006/12/smoking-ban.html |