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COLUMN: Death and taxes can’t be stopped; unfairness can
This is my Sunday column for the July 29, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Death and taxes can’t be stopped; unfairness canBy Aaron J. Brown As the old saying goes, the only sure thing in life is death and taxes. But how you die and how you’re taxed is not inevitable. People’s choices…
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Clinton endorses Clark in MN-8; candidates debate in Grand Rapids
Interesting. Former President Bill Clinton just endorsed Tarryl Clark in the MN-8 DFL primary. Clark announced the Clinton endorsement in the form of a fundraising e-mail. Not sure what a personal endorsement does in this race. Rick Nolan has former Rep. Jim Oberstar, for instance. And Jeff Anderson has Northland native and comedian Maria Bamford,…
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Cravaack to preview MN-8 campaign on Almanac (updated with video)
Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8) will appear on TPT’s Almanac tonight, following up the MN-8 DFL primary debate last week. The visit should hearken the coming general election campaign. If you missed that DFL debate last week, check it out. UPDATE: Here is video of Cravaack’s interview: Related posts: No related posts.
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Future of Range DFL politics at stake in 6B primary
With all the attention paid to the DFL primary in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District, state political watchers are missing out on an equally interesting DFL primary in State Rep. Tom Rukavina’s soon-to-be former House district. For that matter, the new District 6B will also be home to one of the first Republican primaries in recent…
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The tilted stool of Minnesota’s taxes
Last week I spoke with my home state’s Commissioner of Revenue Myron Frans as he made his way across northern Minnesota for a tax reform discussion tour. I always like to see the ways in which bland-seeming statistics can be applied to real problems in our communities. Frans and I had an interesting chat and…
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Return of the Zombie Power Plant
Leslie Brooks Suzokamo of the St. Paul Pioneer Press penned this story about the latest attempted resurrection of Excelsior Energy’s failed Iron Range power plant. As we’ve observed here before, the beleaguered decade-old start-up has proposed a natural gas plant now instead of its originally-planned coal gasification plant. Give the story a read. Founded by…
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A little metro AM talk radio for this rustic fellow
I was a guest on the LeftMn Radio Hour with my blogging/speech instructor counterpart Aaron Klemz on AM 950 Sunday afternoon. I talked about the MN-8 DFL primary and the debate this past Friday on Almanac. You can hear the show in the embedded player below. My section is about halfway through. Podcast Powered By…
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Almanac debate sharpens approaching MN-8 DFL primary
On Friday night the DFL candidates for Congress in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District debated on TPT’s statewide news magazine Almanac. If you missed the debate, I encourage you to watch it below. Hosts Cathy Wurzer and Eric Eskola took candidates Rick Nolan, Jeff Anderson and Tarryl Clark through a series of questions about some of…
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MN-8 DFLers to square off on Almanac tonight
On Aug. 14, DFLers in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District will vote for a party nominee to take on freshman incumbent Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8). The race has been heating up steadily. Tonight we might see some sparks as the candidates, Rick Nolan, Jeff Anderson and Tarryl Clark, spar in a live televised debate on TPT’s…
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Nolan issues mining plan for MN-8; Anderson responds
This morning Rick Nolan and Jeff Anderson held dueling press conferences on mining issues at the Natural Resources Research Institute in Duluth as their race for the MN-8 DFL nomination rolls to an Aug. 14 primary election. Tarryl Clark is also running on the DFL side. The winner will face incumbent freshman Rep. Chip Cravaack…
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What the money means in MN-8 DFL primary
I wish money weren’t such an overwhelming influence on American politics. I intend to change that. And, to ensure that I do, please send me a check for $2,300. Oh, yes. I’ll take your calls when I win. We’re friends now! Democrat or Republican, union political chief or conservative business owner, this conversation plays out…
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A Wednesday morning mining showdown in MN-8
Earlier today Rick Nolan, the DFL endorsed candidate for Congress in MN-8, announced he would be holding a press conference at the Natural Resources Research Institute in Duluth regarding a new mining policy proposal he’s been working out. The presser was scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Now tonight, Jeff Anderson, one of Nolan’s two opponents in…
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10,000 jobs to break even
A story by Beth Bily in the July 12, 2012 print edition of the Scenic Range News Forum contained the following nuggets of data regarding mining jobs on Minnesota’s Iron Range. Total Minnesota Mining Wages2011: $356.9 million (up 25 percent gross, down 7 percent adjusted for costs)2000: $286.8 million; (adjusted for costs): $383.3 million Total…
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Nolan debuts ads, joining Clark, Anderson on MN-8 airwaves
Yesterday the DFL launched biographical ads for Rick Nolan in the MN-8 DFL primary, finally putting the endorsed candidate on the air. A DFL insider I spoke to expressed some confidence Nolan will win the primary, but I continue to believe that no one really knows until Aug. 14. Nevertheless, this is a clean, sharp…
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One month out, MN-8 DFL contest remains a mystery
“It’s quiet.” “Yeah, too quiet.” We all know that movie cliche. This dialogue always comes before some sort of inevitable action sequence that we saw in the film’s trailer. And in Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District it is most certainly quiet, too quiet, as the Aug. 14 DFL primary to challenge incumbent Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8)…