By Roy Cerling This note is in response to Col. Gudmundson’s January 9 Fillmoare County Journal commentary on retaining the electoral college. I take exception to some of the arguments used. In fact I believe the editor Mr. Sethre should sometimes reject commentaries due to their utter lack of journalistic standards. I complain because, while Col. Gudmunson is … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… Premiums cost Clinton election
Our 44th President of the United States of America said, early on, “If you like your plan, you can keep your plan.” Over-promised and under-delivered. I have watched and waited since November 9, 2016, when the world came to realize Donald J. Trump was elected to be the next President of the United States of America, before sharing my observations. If I had my … [Read more...]
Protect your health when working in the cold
Cold weather presents a unique set of challenges for those who have to work outside, including our farmer producers. No matter how cold it gets, animals need feed and water, snow has to be moved and grain has to be shipped. While most producers have ways of remaining productive during the winter months, it never hurts to remind ourselves of some important cold weather … [Read more...]
Our system comes with no guarantees
There are a lot of dire predictions about our representative democracy out there. We’re just past a presidential election campaign in which candidates complained about a rigged political system. Now, commentators worry about the imminent failure of the American experiment. I don’t agree with these predictions of calamity. Our representative democracy is not on the verge of … [Read more...]
Keeping the electoral college is mandatory
In a democracy, the majority vote should determine the winner. Because Hillary won the popular vote, she should be the next president. It’s only logical. Would Hillary have won had the election been based on the popular vote? I’m not so sure. Here’s why. First, there are the fraud and dead voter problems. Dead people shouldn’t vote. But radicals in the Democrat Party … [Read more...]
Privilege explained
When the subject of being part of a privileged group comes up many people become defensive. Their response is, “I’ve worked hard for what I have, I am not privileged.” Yes, many privileged people do work hard. I think I have worked hard and am also privileged. The point is that other people may work as hard or even harder and never realize the same “success.” As we know many … [Read more...]
2016 was an eventful year
Last week Viet “Henry” Long stopped into Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation’s (SMIF) office. He was confused about a of couple checks he had received from the Foundation. They were not big checks, totaling only $2,500, but both were indeed for Henry, who co-owns Magic Ten Nails in Owatonna. Henry took over ownership after the 2010 floods, when the previous owner decided … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… Our worst day may be somebody’s best day
As we approach the holidays, it presents an opportunity for us to reflect on our past, present, and future. And, reflection can often help us revisit what is most important in our lifelong journey. About 20 years ago, when I was fresh in the newspaper business, I worked at a large daily newspaper with over 250 employees. One particularly memorable day, a sales manager … [Read more...]
Want to govern effectively, Mr. Trump?
As Mario Cuomo said, politicians campaign in poetry but have to govern in prose. Now we have a president-elect who campaigned in tweets...but still will have to govern in prose. Donald Trump showed great skill as a campaigner, steering his campaign past a slew of professional politicians who underestimated him at every turn. Now the test is whether he can govern — that is, … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… Fake news legitimizes real news
Last week, we published a commentary by Lee Hamilton titled “Fake news is a danger to democracy”. Quoting Hamilton: “Our representative democracy depends on ordinary people making sound judgments about politicians and policy. This is hard to do at the best of times. Issues are complex. Being able to sort out what matters and what’s a diversion takes knowledge and … [Read more...]