It's been amusing to see the various polls disagree with each other. I expect each one weights things differently and has a different sample-space (adults? registered voters? likely voters?). It's even more amusing to hear the various analysts and media types trying to make sense of apparently conflicting numbers. I wonder if, the evening of ( Read more... )

Record rainfalls.
Schools closed.
Livestock moving to the higher ground.
Some pastureland looking more like a lake.
Stocks of sandbags being depleted.
Roads closed due to flooding.
Stranded people being rescued by boat.

That's not from Ivan, or any other hurricane. That's what happened overnight and this morning in southeast Minnesota.

Fairmont ( Read more... )

Minnesota's last Governor, Jesse Ventura, was a surprise to many on both sides of the political aisle. I've maintained for some time that his success was not purely based on celebrity and curiosity. That much may be able to open a door, but that much alone will not get someone invited in through that door.

When I first heard Ventura was running ( Read more... )

As it now after the moment of the equinox it is now fall, or autumn if you prefer. I prefer fall in its monosyllabic (why does that have so many syllables?) simplicity. There is a chill to the morning that brings with it a clarity. Not a great amount of humidity, but not just too cold. A windbreaker is sufficient and a little heat is all that's ( Read more... )

The DFL finally got around to releasing a state budget plan. Good for them. As could be expected, they call for tax increases. The DFL tries to say it's for the little guy and maintain that it isn't involved in class warfare - a delicate balance and a hard argument to swallow after watching them for a while. Their plan certainly is interesting, ( Read more... )

Governor Pawlenty suggested something that has some folks upset. He suggested that protesters who commit illegal acts should be required to pay for the cost of their arrest. I disagree, but not the way some do. Why limit it to protesters? Why not have all criminals pay for their arrest? That would, after all, be non-discriminatory.

Some are ( Read more... )

No, not a war protest. A tax protest at the state capitol yesterday. There were signs that read "Liberate Minnesota" and "Cut spending now" there. This was in support of Governor Pawlenty and his stand of not raising taxes.

The interesting thing is that this event, organized by the Minnesota Taxpayers League, was on a weekday, unlike all previous ( Read more... )

It became evident last year that the state would be running a deficit if nothing was done.

So now governor Pawlenty, who ran with a no tax increase promise, must deal with the current problem. Since it's his first year in office, he has to take into account the next few years as well. He has proposed a budget that balances, and might even have a ( ( Read more... )

I finally got around to filling out my taxes for 2002. The federal form was actually trivial, as I could telefile and let the IRS automata do the work. This went very well indeed and I now await a non-trivial sum of my money being given back to me by direct deposit.

The state taxes did not go so well. In previous years I could telefile (save once ( Read more... )

Heard my first radio campaign ad this morning. It starts off like a commercial for a mechanic or car advice show. One person tells how something doesn't work right, is always pulling to the left, and though he's tried to get rid of it and had it twelve years, it keeps running. The reply? "You have a bad Wellstone..." and goes on with a few things ( Read more... )