Thanksgiving Thoughts....
by Dave MindemanIt is a time to give thanks. Thanks for our blessings and thanks that we live in this great and bountiful land.But it is also a time of reflection and an examination of how we relate to our community.If I can offer a Thanksgiving prayer it would include an end to all wars. An end to homelessness in our streets. An end to disease and famine. An end to hoplessness and despair.We live in a vast universe. Mankind is but a speck of dust in the cosmos. But though our place may seem insignificant, our lives have true meaning in our sense of community.I wish, on this Thanksgiving, that we might take the time to examin

Mitch Berg: Celebrating A Suicide Verdict
by Dave MindemanMitch Berg, at Shot in the Dark, regularly tries to point out the "fallacies" of left wing arguments. He enjoys "fisking" everybody -- he has even gone after me a few times.But this particular post of his warrants an examination of its own:Twin Cities Leftybloggers: Verdict – Guilty! Sentence – Ridicule!I assume you are all familiar with the unfortunate death of Bill Sparkman, a US Census Worker who was found hanged with FED scrawled onto his chest. It has now been ruled a suicide and ap

Barkley's "Perfect" Candidate - Lou Dobbs?
by Dave MindemanI am really trying to get my hands around this Politico quote from Independence Party leader Dean Barkley:"Lou Dobbs, I think, would be a perfect candidate for us," said former Sen. Dean Barkley, the founder of the Minnesota Reform Party (later known as the Minnesota Independence Party) who managed former Gov. Jesse Ventura's successful third-party campaign in 1998. "We were hoping he would have run last time."Lou Dobbs?Th

Seifert's Distillery Fees -- Bad, Even Though He Voted for Them
by Dave MindemanWhen Marty Seifert made his proposals for revitalizing the Minnesota economy, he made a big deal out of distilleries. Mainly, the high cost of starting one up. He went into detail about the $30,000 fee..."We had a guy in Windom who wanted to open up a distillery business. The distillery license fee in Minnesota is $30,000. Thirty thousand dollars to open up a distillery. In 42 minutes to the south of Windom is the state of Iowa, it costs $350. Where do you think he took his business? Where do you think he took his jobs? He went to Iowa. We now know that there are three businesses like his in Iowa and one in Wisconsin. Those are jobs that we

Sign Joe Mauer
by Dave MindemanThe Twins got their new stadium....the luxury boxes...the new ticket prices....and who knows what else.Now, its time for the Twins to do something for Minnesota.Sign Joe Mauer.I do not understand why they even hesitate to start negotiations. Are they hoping he gets hurt and has to sit out next year? Do they think the awards he is getting will be forgotten? Joe Mauer is Kirby Puckett with a bonus -- he is a native son.The Twins organization maneuvered the state into helping them with that new stadium. They have a light rail hub set up at that very location. They have been catered to, cajoled, stroked, and given