Is this what Texas lawmakers wanted?

March 17, 2022

The State of Texas, like a lot of Republican dominated states, passed voting restriction legislation that they claimed would “make it easier to vote and harder to cheat.” So how is it working? In the March 1 Texas primary this year, the state threw out 23,000 mail-in ballots, roughly 13% of the mail ballots cast in the counties surveyed by the Associated Press. The rejected ballots indicate that voters were having a hard time complying with the new rules Texas installed, including providing a personal ID number, such as a driver’s license number or Social Security number as well ...

Legislative hangups

March 16, 2022

Legislative members attending the New Ulm Farm-City Hub Club Farm Show Saturday gave generously of their time to answer questions in a legislative forum devoted to farm issues. No doubt it took them that long to try to explain why the Minnesota Legislature still hasn’t passed legislation providing drought relief for farmers affected by last year’s dry season. Practically everyone in the Legislature, Republicans and Democrats alike, are agreed that livestock and specialty crop farmers who didn’t qualify for crop insurance last year need help, and there is a plan for $10 million ...

Gambling: Time to approve sports betting

March 15, 2022

A sports gambling bill is a good bet to pass the Minnesota Legislature this year after years of opposition from the Native American casinos, who have now embraced the idea as they will be the primary operators. But sports betting is also good for Minnesota business and consumers, who are already wagering on sports online and in neighboring states. House and Senate bills would give the tribes control of sports betting in the state with in-person betting at casinos. The tribes would also work with vendors for online games. The Senate bill also would allow sports in-person betting at the ...

War on civilians

March 14, 2022

The Russian strategy in Ukraine has been thwarted since its invasion began by stiffer than expected military resistance and an armed and motivated civilian population that have turned targets like the capital city of Kyiv into fortresses. So the Russians have adopted a new strategy, apparently — attack those who can’t fight back. In the city of Mariupol, Russians have been bombing and shelling the city’s civilian population. When people try to flee the fighting, they are shot down. Corridors for evacuees have become killing fields. Those inside the city are bombed out of their ...

Et. Cetera

March 12, 2022

Grant to help seniors age in place Several local individuals set out on a mission to hep bring services into the homes of seniors in Martin County. Now with a sizable grant from the Schmeeckle Foundation, the Martin County CHW Project is moving forward. The group is looking for community health workers to train in order to help seniors stay in their homes longer. Thank you to those behind this great project and to the Schmeeckle Foundation for supporting it. Robotics team earns high rank Last weekend the Fairmont robotics team placed fourth out of 53 teams at a competition in ...

Fuel tax holiday?

March 11, 2022

With gasoline prices at the pump rising like a SpaceX celebrity rocket launch, governors and state lawmakers around the country are looking for ways to ease the impact for their citizens. One idea being pushed is to call a holiday on state or even federal gasoline taxes. These are the per-gallon taxes collected at the pump with every gasoline purchase. The money collected usually goes into the state or federal transportation fund to build or maintain roads and bridges. Governors from several states, including Minnesota, are writing to congress members asking them to support a gas tax ...