So we sent out our Christmas cards which were actually just letters, and photocopied letters at that. I’ve read the etiquette columns and I know such documents should be augmented with personal notes, ribbons and probably glitter, but we just sent out the black and white photo letter. We have three boys under the age…

I made a dumb mistake in my column yesterday. In a (mostly) satirical column I suggested that Minnesota trade its high-profile Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty to North Dakota for its Republican Gov. John Hoeven, a bunch of steaks and two nuclear weapons. In the column I say that Minnesota hasn’t had a governor with a…

Well, here we are in early December. We just got a good foot of snow last weekend with more coming this weekend. That’s plenty for snowmobiling. I could tell people were anxious last Saturday because when the first flakes began to fall we saw a guy in what appeared to be new jacket, helmet and…

Bananas look funny, sound funny and they’re a three-dimensional euphemism for something naughty. (Have you ever noticed how a banana resembles a hot dog? Those have so many nitrates! OMG!). Meantime, old bananas are turned into a great source of alliteration (and carbs): banana bread. Banana bread is tasty and beloved, harkening Midwestern memories of…

I’m generally a positive, happy dude. But it’s hard for me to avoid cynicismduring the holiday consumerism assault. Every year we are treated to the false impressions that our economy relies on everyone buying plastic goods the day after Thanksgiving. We are told what toys are “hot” and what our rooftops should look like from…

The family and I decided to go shopping today despite the many predictable frustrations that would occur on “the biggest shopping day of the year.” Things went fine, by and large, but it sure does raise the blood pressure. My Hibbing Daily Tribune column for this upcoming Sunday deals with the Christmas shopping concept, so…

If you add your out-of-pocket insurance expenses to your taxes that support existing government health care programs, you’ll probably find that you’re already paying plenty for health care, more than enough to cover actual medical expenses. So converting to a universal system is really more a matter of getting the money we already pay devoted…

I’m no stranger to letters to the editor taking issue with something I’ve written, but today was a first. I got a letter opposing a column that never ran. In a recent column, Aaron Brown made several inaccurate statements as he reviewed my editorial from the Duluth News Tribune. That editorial was in support of…

Government’s main purpose is to serve the people in all ways that the private sector and market can’t. That includes highways, public works, education and, more than ever, health care. And it seems we’re closer than you’d think to being able to solve some basic service issues, especially on health care. ~An excerpt from my…