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Hey chumps, don’t get your hopes up
I wrote Sunday about the heavy influence of lobbying in St. Paul after a Mesabi Daily News story detailed how lobbyists outnumber lawmakers 4-1 at the Capitol. I was about to write that one way to improve the state of affairs would be to encourage more citizen lobbying like what you see with “St. Louis…
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Those beeping cameras
I’ve been writing about the St. Louis County Board more often these days. I had forgotten how entertaining this governmental body can be. Commissioner Keith Nelson is seeking a legal opinion about whether the board can bar citizens from video recording county workshops (which are legally open meetings). The material filmed could be taken out…
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Lobbyist, Lobbyist, Lawmaker, Lobbyist, Lobbyist,
Here’s an interesting story from Jon Collins, the legislative correspondent for the Mesabi Daily News, Hibbing Daily Tribune, Grand Rapids Herald-Review and other northern papers. I’ll show you the headline as it appeared in the Mesabi Daily News: Lobbyists outnumber lawmakers by 4-1Good or bad? Both I’m going to go out on a limb and…
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My funny senator
The performance of Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) at the National Press Club Foundation dinner this week is getting plenty of headlines in nerdy political circles. For the uninitiated, the premise is that this annual event always features comedic performances from one Democrat and one Republican member of Congress. Usually these people aren’t funny. This year,…
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MinnPost: ‘Buy American’ clause could help Iron Range
MinnPost’s Washington reporter Cynthia Dizikes pens a story today about a “Buy American” provision in the federal stimulus bill that could be a big boon to Iron Range mines and domestic steelmakers in general. Free trade proponents are fighting the measure, as is the European Union and pretty much any other place that sells steel…
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Black rethinks Franken in today’s MinnPost
Eric Black offers a must read piece about Al Franken in MinnPost today. This is the most honest look at Franken’s candidacy I’ve seen, including the obvious flaws that right wing blogs like to talk about but also explaining the strengths that put him in position to be Minnesota’s next senator. This campaign has been…
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An Iron Range argument goes to the sewers
The editorial back and forth between State Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia) and Mesabi Daily News editor Bill Hanna over a wastewater plant editorial continues to, uh, well insert your own sewage joke here. Here is an excerpt from Rukavina’s letter to the editor saying he was misquoted in the MDN editorial about being opposed to…
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Good news? It’s mostly bad
A busy weekend in Range news: A stretch of Highway 169 by Chisholm might be threatened by collapsing underground mine shafts beneath (from Saturday’s Duluth News Tribune). These are the same patchwork collection of tunnels that caused structural damage at nearby Ironworld a couple years ago. All I’ve got to say is that if you…
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Sixth, Seventh and Eighth CD DFL to hold winter conference featuring early governor candidates
I pass along northern Minnesota political organizing press releases like this if people send them to me. I would do the same for a GOP event: DFL Winter Conference to Host Governor Candidates Several candidates for Governor will be in attendance at this weekend’s Winter DFL Conference to be held in the Minnesota Room at…
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An important week for rural broadband
As you might remember, I have been an advocate of increasing available broadband internet speeds to more Americans, especially rural folks and those on the Iron Range. (“A Little Less Hooey, a Little More Huey”). I see it not just as a more convenient way for e-commuters like myself to do our jobs, but as…
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From behind storm clouds, light can be shed on Range’s troubled cities and schools
Here’s an update to my Sunday post about Iron Range cities sharing services. That post was original prompted by the Mesabi Daily News‘ Sunday editorial calling on East Range cities to get behind a joint wastewater plant, which I agree with. What I didn’t mention was that the editorial said that State Rep. Tom Rukavina…
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Te-Te-Te-Tennessee
If Al Franken has accomplished nothing else, he has done one glorious favor for America. He opened the door, just a crack mind you, for Tim McGraw to become the next governor of Tennessee. This on the heels of Val Kilmer’s exploration of a gubernatorial run in New Mexico. Celebrities! Report to your home states…
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Iron Range: Join, share, rebuild, grow
The Mesabi Daily News ran an editorial Sunday calling on lawmakers to push local governments to support shared services. I agree. This falls in line with my recent call for an Iron Range Congress for local governments and schools to start meeting as soon as possible to discuss consolidation and maximization of our increasingly limited…
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Money, money, money …. money (it helps to have music behind this headline)
The MDN continues its coverage of the pay rates of public officials with stories about compensation of local superintendents and lawmakers. You make more as a superintendent but it’s hard to tell what you make as a lawmaker. Related posts: No related posts.
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Layman (finally) confirmed as IRR(RB) commish
The Minnesota State Senate has confirmed Iron Range Resources Commissioner Sandy Layman by a voice vote. Her confirmation was held up indefinitely by Iron Range state senators after her original appointment by Gov. Pawlenty in 2003. Belated diplomacy beats none at all, I guess. Related posts: No related posts.