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Slip sliding way from Constitution

Letters

To the editor: Very often families face the difficult decision of what to do about mom or dad or both of them when they’re no longer able to take care of their day-to-day affairs or themselves. All too often we hear stories of vulnerable seniors who are being stung by a scam to rob them of significant amounts of money. The uncomfortable decision to confiscate their car keys because they’ve become a road hazard is all too common. If your parents are speaking gibberish and going off on tangents that aren’t germane to any conversation you have with them, the possibility of ...

What you need to know about marijuana use

Columns

Many Minnesotans have probably seen media coverage over the last two years talking about the legalization of marijuana (cannabis). In August of 2023, Minnesota became the 23rd state to legalize adult-use marijuana. Within the next year, store fronts will be opening their doors across the state selling marijuana products. While legal, there are risks associated with the use of marijuana that can impact both the health and quality of life for those who use it. Marijuana has high concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which has intoxicating and mind-altering effects. The higher ...

Ignoring the Constitution

Letters

To the editor: In 2017-2018 President Trump wanted a military parade in the nation’s capital. This did not happen because it was determined that the cost would be too exorbitant, roughly $92 million. This year is the 250th anniversary of the Army and there is already a festival planned for the National Mall. The cost for this festival has not been published. Now Trump wants to celebrate his 79th birthday with an expanded military celebration including a much longer parade. Current published cost estimates are a minimum of $45 million for the parade itself. After the parade, ...

Bringing Minnesota stories back to the Senate

Columns

Minnesota relies on the strength of our state’s rural communities and farmlands. As your Senator and as one of the leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee, it’s important to me to hear directly about the challenges you are facing. Every year I go to all 87 of Minnesota’s counties, and last month, I went on a 19-county tour to visit farms, small businesses, and other organizations throughout rural Minnesota. Everywhere I went, I got to talk to small business owners who were proud to contribute to their local economy, neighbors who went the extra mile for each other, and ...

Fifty years slip by

Columns

I am about to attend one of the most stressful events anyone can imagine. That’s right: I will soon be going to my high school class reunion. Specifically, it’s the reunion that will mark 50 years since we graduated. Fifty years. How can that be? How is it that half a century has slipped under the bridge since we wore those ridiculously oversized gowns and those silly caps that looked like a cross between a beanie and a pizza box? I’ve stayed in touch with a few of my classmates over the years. Some of them, like me, never left the area. We’re among those who decided to ...

Going extra innings on the farm

Columns

I wrote once when I was young, that farmers had about 40 seasons to ply their trade. When I wrote that, 40 years seemed an unimaginably long time. Here I am, past that number, still putting in a crop. You could say I’m in extra innings. Each planting season is highly anticipated, stressed over, hard work, and unique. No two are ever the same. If I am done planting, this one was quite pleasant. I say “if,” because replanting acres is not uncommon. The last two springs are examples of that. In both years, hard and excessive rains meant I replanted large numbers of acres, more ...