Consider economics
Kindergarten preparedness has been in the news lately in Minnesota and locally. We'd like to add our 2 cents:?We hope public officials remember that economics plays a huge role in how well parents are able to attend to the development of their children. If mom and dad are overburdened or financially insecure, the little ones suffer.
Minnesota, and the U.S. for that matter, needs to be an open, friendly place for people to do business. A robust economy, low taxes and sensible regulatory burdens means more income and more options for parents, including possibly allowing one parent to stay home to nurture the toddlers.
Like what we're seeing
The Republican-led Legislature in Minnesota seems committed to fiscal sanity. We couldn't be more pleased to see their early proposals to help balance the state's budget.
On Tuesday, they recommended making permanent some temporary spending cuts made last year. This will save $1 billion. On Wednesday, they came out with a plan to cut 5,000 state employees by 2015. Savings are estimated at $150 million to $200 million per year.
While some in opposition are chirping about state employee "job losses," they are ignoring the long-term costs of those jobs to the state budget and the private sector that funds them.
City explains problem
We believe the city of Fairmont has done a good job of explaining a "turbidity" problem that occurred in the local drinking water supply last October.
The problem stemmed from testing being conducted on a new way to remove algae from lake water. A?technology being considered ended up disrupting the water plant's normal treatment process. This left the water less clear, but there were no disease-causing organisms in it. Rather, the city was forced to report the turbidity to the public as a requirement of the state Department of Health. In other words, it was technical issue.
Off to a great start
Kudos to organizers of the first Pond Hockey Tournament last weekend in Fairmont. The event, combined with the annual Icekahana snowmobile races and an ice fishing contest, proved popular despite the cold. This could bode well for the creation of a winter festival in Fairmont in coming years.
We encourage anyone who would like to get involved to contact the Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce.