The president planned to address the nation on a spring Sunday night and speak to an urgent crisis. How he should manage the crisis had deeply divided the country. The president suffered from a huge credibility gap with voters. And it was an election year. After speaking for about 40 minutes, the president shocked the audience, including his closest advisers.
Transform isolation into fun family bonding
Social isolation does not have to be a miserable dilemma akin to solitary confinement in a jail. In fact, it can be a rewarding, connective experience – a time for families to slow down and strengthen bonds. A long time ago, we kids loved those happy days when we were shut inside the house during blizzards and rainstorms. We’d get
Do your part to keep voting efficient and secure
Based on the number of citizens who turned out, Minnesota’s March 3 Presidential Nominating Primary was a success. This year’s primary was the first since 1956 that binds the parties to the election results. For years, Minnesota’s political parties chose their candidates at precinct caucuses where participants literally stood up for their candidates. Parties conducted caucuses this year but the
Northstar rail great option for Twin Cities travel
The first week of March, I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in an externship program for three days with a St. John’s alum who works with the city of Minneapolis. While planning for this opportunity, I ran into a problem. I would be on spring break during the time and back home in Sauk Rapids. What would
What’s behind outstate Republicans’ new concern for big-city safety?
The tug of war between Twin Cities legislators and their outstate colleagues is older than the state itself. St. Peter fought to move the territorial capital from St. Paul in 1851, seven years before statehood. St. Paul remained the capital city thanks to a trick that Roger Stone would be proud of. A bill making St. Peter the capital was
Open memory trunks, take a trip to the past
Last week my time machine landed smack-dab in the middle of the past. What a happy but sometimes sad trip it was –- happy because those days, those decades, were brimming with such good times; sad because so many people I knew once upon a time are now departed. Too many school chums, friends, relatives, co-workers, neighbors. Gone. My parents,
No stars in dreary government buildings
The third-graders lay flat on the floor, looking up at the dome, 160 feet above. What did they see, the tour guide asked? “Stars” the children said as they examined the inner dome of the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing. The star-filled dome represents the vastness of the universe, encouraging us all to “reach for our stars,” the guide suggested
Primary endangers voter privacy, participation
With the New Hampshire primary and the Iowa caucuses finally counted, the 2020 presidential primary season is in full swing. The Democratic front-runners look to be Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Following closely behind is our state’s own Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden trail farther behind. Donald Trump, with no major