Social distancing. Shelter in place. Distance learning. Self-quarantine. Ventilators. N95s. When will our vocabulary, not to mention our lives, go back to normal? The day will come when this crisis will be behind us. But we shouldn’t go back to normal. The coronavirus pandemic revealed weaknesses and opportunities in our social and economic life that need attention. Many of us
Accurate census headcount vital for Minnesota
This count really counts. In the past 10 days, most people received a letter from the U.S. Census Bureau asking for participation in the 2020 Census. While public health stories dominate the daily news, the census deserves some attention too. Every 10 years, the federal government counts how many people live here. Governments use that data to fund and plan
Spread a little sunshine
Sunshine Week is coming up. But it’s not about your planned spring trip to Arizona or Florida. Sunshine Week, March 15-21, is a national initiative to educate the public about the importance of open government and the dangers of excessive and unnecessary secrecy. Good government results when the people’s business takes place in the open….when the sun shines in. When
Presidential primary comes with some election changes
Minnesota’s March 3 Presidential Nomination Primary will be a new experience for the state’s voters with rules and procedures unlike other elections. The presidential primary essentially replaces a portion of the political parties’ precinct caucuses, where among other decisions, participants selected presidential candidates. Caucuses will still take place on Feb. 25, one week before the primary, so the parties can
An inaccurate census could put Minnesota’s representation at risk
Every 10 years, we get a chance to count how many people live in the United States. In addition to the basic count, we learn where people live and basic demographic information such as age, gender, race and ethnicity. Governments use that data to fund and plan a variety of social, educational and public safety expenses. Most importantly, the count
Stearns board should vote yes on refugee resettlement
The Stearns County Commission perhaps thinks it avoided making a politically charged decision about resettling refugees when it tabled the issue at a Jan. 7 meeting. The commissioners plan to take up the issue again on Jan. 28. In September, Donald Trump issued an Executive Order that local governments had to agree in writing to allow refugees to be placed within
Roads unite Republicans, Democrats
What does it take to get six Democrats and three Republicans to work on the same goal? The answer: When Minnesota needs federal money to rebuild roads, bridges and highway interchanges. Most of Minnesota’s congressional delegation wrote to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao asking why the state didn’t get any funding through the Department of Transportation’s Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage
Volunteer, vote instead of checking out
In case you hadn’t noticed, 2020 will be an election year. Enough Democrats to populate two volleyball teams have been campaigning for a year for an election that’s still 11 months away. Donald Trump started campaigning for re-election the day after he was sworn in. Analysts tell us most voters are alienated and unmoored, and that electoral politics are far