Recently I received a book in the mail from a reader who was profoundly affected by the contents and thought I might find it of interest. I found myself reading The Killing of Uncle Sam by Rodney Howard Browne and Paul L. Williams. It is a scholarly work, thoughtful, provocative, heavily documented and an honest effort to assess where we are and what the future holds for … [Read more...]
Science today: Glyphosate and Cheerios — should we really be worried?
Within the past few weeks, the media has been abuzz with the news headlines similar to, “Don’t feed your kids Cheerios! They’ll be poisoned with glyphosate.” While it definitely grabs a reader’s attention, what are these headlines really saying? Can something the majority of Americans eat since the age of one year really be hurting you? What is glyphosate and why is it … [Read more...]
Why is the Russian investigation important?
By Kevin Kelleher My mother was a wise woman. She, like many mothers, was not shy about giving her children advice. One of her best pieces of advice was “you’ll be judged by the company you keep.” Good advice for anyone, sadly, Donald Trump never got this advice or ignored it. Let’s look at the cast of characters that Donald Trump has hired to work in his administration … [Read more...]
Evaluating liberal policies: Results matter
Conservative people are pragmatists; results and production oriented. If the crops aren’t growing, we analyze what’s wrong and fix it. If the construction project we are on has an activity that’s not on track, we get it fixed before all the other activities suffer. We are this way because we must be. We live in a world where the rubber meets the road. We embrace new technology … [Read more...]
What are political parties good for? Plenty, actually
If you take a dim view of our political parties, you’re in sterling company. So did George Washington. In his famous Farewell Address, he warned us against “the baneful effects of the spirit of [political] party.” A political party, he wrote, “agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… Dirty jobs
Some of you may remember the TV show named Dirty Jobs starring host Mike Rowe. From 2005 to 2012, Rowe would tag along with people who had the dirtiest jobs in America. He was outstanding at capturing the essence of a job in the most graphic of details, helping viewers appreciate all of the jobs that came with disgusting smells and physically demanding conditions. As I … [Read more...]
What to expect from Extension when calling about weed control options
Controlling weeds – especially ones with invasive properties – is challenging. Part of my job is to help people make decisions related to weed control. Here are some things you can expect when calling the Extension office looking for advice. • There is often no silver bullet to control the weeds we have today. Complete control takes time and work. And you will often need to … [Read more...]
Capturing philanthropic wealth in rural communities
Several months ago, I was pleased to see my hometown of Kiester join forces with five nearby towns to create a new community foundation called Our Town USA. At Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), we support communities in capturing and retaining philanthropic wealth through community foundations like this. This has become increasingly important as $7 billion is … [Read more...]
Devil’s Advocate…410
The Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO) on Hawaii Island tests the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. In April and May of 2018, the MLO measured the highest concentration of CO2 ever recorded in human history. Four hundred ten parts per million (ppm). What does this mean for the world, the nation, and Fillmore County? To be clear, water vapor is the world’s … [Read more...]
Letter about your vote… To the Editor
Lee Hamilton was spot on concerning Republican efforts to suppress voting rights, but there’s more. Massive Republican gerrymandering has stolen voting power from millions. For decades, when Republicans have legislative control, they usually refuse to allow a vote unless there is majority Republican support. Bipartisanship is not allowed. Republican appointed members of the … [Read more...]