Editorial Columns

If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans

Published by admin on Tue, 10/01/2019 - 9:33am

Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Nobody ever had a rainbow until he had the rain.

The list of life’s reflections goes on and on. Basically, these old sayings are just trying to assure us that we need to just suck it up and deal with both the good and the bad.

Some years are better than others, and some test your inner steel. This year, I’ve been trying to challenge myself into finding the good in every bad situation. After all, if God is indeed laughing at my plans, I might as well try to join in on the joke.

Never underestimate the value of friendship

Published by admin on Tue, 09/24/2019 - 9:00am

I’ve always had a wide circle of friends and am grateful for those who were in my life for only a brief period, as well as for the ones who have been lifelong friends.

I never really had much trouble making friends until I moved to the Twin Cities. I suppose it was the sheer size coupled with the fact that I never had the good fortune to work for stable companies the first decade I was there. I remember expecting the people I met to welcome me with open arms — who couldn’t use another friend?

Maher’s obesity solution a big, fat joke

Published by admin on Thu, 09/19/2019 - 6:05pm

Late-night talk shows usually give anyone watching an opportunity to laugh. They help us to break away from the real world and the problems that come with it. Now, though, they apparently have the solutions to those problems, as well.

Take the country’s obesity problem. About 40% of Americans are considered obese, a rather alarming number to be sure. However, Bill Maher, HBO’s firebrand, has the solution. He believes fat shaming deserves a reboot.

Bold plans needed to save the planet

Published by admin on Thu, 09/19/2019 - 6:02pm

God created a world in which everything was in perfect harmony. The land and its plants and animals were a part of an ecosystem that worked beautifully. Man should be able to enjoy all creation for eternity, but unfortunately future generations won’t have that opportunity if we continue on our present path.

Climate change is real and increasingly a part of our daily lives. There is evidence, facts and science to tell us that.

Life is all relative and relatives can make your life great

Published by admin on Tue, 09/17/2019 - 10:13am

If cousins are truly your first real friends, then I’m the most fortunate person on this planet.

In May, I attended the funeral of an aunt and spent a wonderful afternoon reconnecting with almost all of my cousins on Dad’s side of the family.

I recently attended the wedding of my first cousin, once removed — in other words, the daughter of my cousin. It was in Iowa, and I got to see some cousins from Mom’s side of the family.

Timing, location of peace talks doomed them from start

Published by admin on Fri, 09/13/2019 - 5:15pm

This week was the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America, a dark day that adults in this country remember all too well. This week was also when the president of the United States planned to hold secret meetings with Taliban leaders — a fact the public learned when he tweeted they were now cancelled because a U.S. soldier had been killed in an attack carried out by the Taliban.

Patriotism, service can mean different things

Published by admin on Fri, 09/13/2019 - 5:13pm

On Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, at 8:45 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 flew into the North World Trade Center Tower. This was followed by the crash into the second tower at 9:02 a.m. by United Airlines Flight 175. American Airlines Flight 77 then crashed into the Pentagon, and in a demonstration of patriotism service and selfless sacrifice, the passengers of United Flight 93 stormed the cockpit and crashed their plane into a field in the Stonycreek Township near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Gun violence solution not found in disarming good people

Published by admin on Fri, 09/06/2019 - 12:30pm

It’s been a busy summer dealing with mass shooters in America.

Two back to back shootings in Texas and Ohio that killed more than 30 people in early August left us concerned that the culture of violence was escalating. Having another incident in Texas with seven more dead has prompted even more discussion on the Second Amendment and how closely we should be adhering to it.

GUEST COLUMN: Exports not the answer for changing milk prices

Published by admin on Fri, 09/06/2019 - 12:03pm

Growth in export markets has long been lauded as the measure of success in American agriculture. Last year, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue credited exports for being a “major driver of the rural economy, generating 20 percent of U.S. farm income and supporting more than a million U.S. jobs.”

YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW: Lawmakers use costs to rebuff records requests

Published by admin on Fri, 09/06/2019 - 12:01pm

In May, as the state Legislature’s Republican-controlled budget committee considered a plan to spend far less on education than what Democrat Gov. Tony Evers proposed, Sheila Plotkin started filing public records requests.

Plotkin asked nearly every member of the Joint Finance Committee for correspondence they had received from Wisconsin residents about education funding.