In other words, Bob is full of doo-doo

December 10, 2014

Tim Pugmire has an article on the MPR News website about how the Republicans are going to kick some, well, fecal material, at the Capitol next session. With their muck boots, apparently. (We’re going with a scatalogical theme today.) One of the new House committees is called the Greater Minnesota Economic and Workforce Development Policy. […]

by Steve Timmer

Lori’s $64,000 question

December 7, 2014

Will GOP find a way to repay voters in rural Minnesota?

by Steve Timmer

Don’t listen to Doug

December 1, 2014

Doug Tice writes Sunday that we don’t have an immigration/border problem, we have a foreign policy problem. If you are seated, you may proceed to the next sentence. I think he’s right. But don’t worry, his prescriptions are wrong. Shorter Doug: We can never defend our long and porous southern border; we have to figure […]

by Steve Timmer

Mourning opportunities lost IV

November 28, 2014

This series is turning into a regular thing. Even I’m getting tired of the graphic. There was a commentary in the Strib this morning (Friday, November 28th) about another failure that should be attributed to the DFL-controlled Legislature in 2013-14: stable and adequate transportation funding. It’s a commentary by Adam Platt, the executive editor of Twin […]

by Steve Timmer

Mourning opportunities lost III

November 21, 2014

I. In the first two installments of the story (here and here), I discussed the systemic political failure of the DFL-controlled Legislature to pass electioneering and disclosure legislation. Another such failure was not passing the Quie judicial retention election plan and putting it on the ballot for voters. Presently, judges run for re-election, against an opponent, if […]

by Steve Timmer

Mourning opportunities lost II

November 20, 2014

In the original Mourning opportunities lost, I described the failure of the DFL controlled Legislature to pass an “electioneering and disclosure” bill in 2013 or 2014, and the contribution of that failure to the loss of the House of Representatives to Republican control in the recent election. I said I had another lost opportunity to discuss, […]

by Steve Timmer

Mourning opportunities lost

November 18, 2014

Blowing the Golden Age

by Steve Timmer

Let’s show our schools some love

November 10, 2014

With the midterm elections behind us, along with a local school board election that saw a geometric rise in spending, it might seem an inopportune time to discuss education policy. Then again, outside the odd hyperbole and coded language of campaigns may be just the right time and place to step back for a clearer […]

by Rob Levine

For those of you II

November 9, 2014

I don’t like ranked choice voting. I suggested a couple of days ago that RCV, as it is known to its pals, might well have elected Dan Severson Secretary of State. I think there is an excellent chance it would have. On the heels of the election, the executive director of FairVote Minnesota issued a […]

by Steve Timmer

For those of you

November 5, 2014

Who think statewide ranked-choice voting is such a really good idea

by Steve Timmer

It’s beginning to look a lot like Thugmas!

October 25, 2014

Yeah, nice lil’ county ya got dere. Shame if sumptin’ happin ta it. So wacher moufs.

by Steve Timmer

Agenda 21 meets Hester Pyrnne

September 22, 2014

There was a minor Twitter explosion on Sunday the 21st because Katherine Kersten had clawed her way onto the opinion pages of the Strib again. I say minor, because let’s be frank, not that many people took the time to read it. The thrust of the piece was that the Metropolitan Council is really just […]

by Steve Timmer