U.S. Postal Service in need of attention

January 4, 2021

U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has a lot of explaining to do, as some in Washington are saying his removal this fall of mail sorting machines at postal facilities is partly to blame for challenges the U.S. Postal Service faced in getting packages delivered during the Christmas season. Of course, the culprit being blamed by USPS officials is COVID-19. Of course, the men and women of the Postal Service were impacted by the epidemic. Many Christmas gifts that in past years would have been delivered in person had to be entrusted to the mail instead. And many gift purchases that ...

Et Cetera

January 2, 2021

Winter sports start Monday, January 4th, Minnesota High School Winter sports practices resume. The long-awaited start of high school sports has arrived. Extracurricular activities are such a vital high school experience for many. The social connections and life lessons learned in practices, competition, and in the locker room are invaluable. We wish the athletes, coaches, and parents well in the return to high school extra-curricular activities. We can only hope to avoid any setbacks following the Christmas and New Year’s break. 4 Under 40 Congratulations to Blake Potthoff, ...

Celebrate the New Year responsibly

December 31, 2020

It will not be a surprise if months of pent-up frustrations prompt many people to blow off more than a little steam this New Year’s Eve. The evening is viewed by many as the one time a year they let their hair down, anyway. There is nothing wrong with having a little fun, of course. But there is plenty wrong with putting others a risk. You know exactly where we are going — driving while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. It is always a danger on New Years’ Eve and may be even more so this year. In some states, traditional partying venues will be either shut down ...

Government needs to be open, honest

December 30, 2020

When politicians talk about “the science,” they often limit discussion to their science. A long as we understand that, we can defend ourselves by checking more reliable sources. But what happens when the politicians start tinkering with primary sources — with reports from government agencies most people consider to be objective and honest? Even bearing in mind that the House of Representatives is controlled by Democrats who can set the agendas for committee investigations, a news report last week was disturbing. It involved an investigation by a House subcommittee chaired by ...

“Warp speed” is good strategy, must be pursued

December 29, 2020

Distribution of millions of doses of vaccine effective against COVID-19 was no Christmas miracle. It happened only because many people at private drug companies worked hard and at top speed — encouraged by the federal government — to develop and test the vaccines. And they were released much sooner than would normally have happened because regulatory agencies adopted President Donald Trump’s “warp speed” strategy. One need not be an admirer of Trump to give him and his administration credit for that. Their efforts to get the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines available quickly have ...

No-knock raids must be banned

December 28, 2020

Law enforcement agencies throughout the nation have been rethinking their tactics this year, in efforts to prevent tragedies such as the death in March of Louisville, Kentucky, resident Breonna Taylor. Taylor died during a raid by police investigating illegal drug trafficking — with which she was not alleged to have been involved. She perished in a hail of bullets after police burst into her apartment and her boyfriend, who says he thought criminals had invaded their home, opened fire. Police fired back and Taylor was killed. Louisville police insist they announced their presence ...