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What has Finstad done to rein in Trump?

Representative Brad Finstad says his constituents complain a lot about fraud and wasteful government spending. Amen, brother! (President Trump) has used his presidency to enrich himself by at least $2 billion. He started a $65 billion war with Iran, costing the average household more than $1,000. His tariffs have cost households another $1,000. $10 trillion has been added to our national debt during his six years in office. Taxpayers will be expected to pony up for his $16 million reflecting pool boondoggle and his costly ballroom fiasco. Meanwhile, health care, food, housing, energy, ...

DIY distress

There are several three-lettered acronyms that invoke anxiety, such as FBI, IRS, and IOU. An acronym that should be added to that list is DIY. “Do it yourself” sounds seductively simple. While there are numerous things that people should definitely do themselves — such as blowing ...

Thumbs up/down

THUMBS UP New Ulm named Minnesota Retail Community of the Year Back in July, New Ulm was named the 2026-27 Minnesota Retail Community of the Year by the Minnesota Retailer Association. This is an impressive achievement that deserves to be recognized. New Ulm received the award in part thanks to a submitted nomination that described New Ulm as a community that intentionally invests in retail success through collaboration, promotion and year-round community engagement. This is an accurate description of the New Ulm community. It does seem like every other weekend New Ulm is hosting some ...

It’s time to go but not completely

After more than 26 years at The Journal and passing what many consider retirement age, it’s time to move on at least to a degree. After working five or six days a week and holding one full-time job and up to three part-time jobs at the same time, it’s not easy to just cut loose from it ...

Enjoying Toast

My wife, my sister Jane, and I recently got toasted. It had nothing to do with overconsumption of alcohol or being feted at a festive gathering. This toast had to do with bread. Sort of. The music group Bread flooded the AM airwaves with hit tunes during the 1970s. Bread essentially created ...

The spending spree must stop

nment, controlled by the allegedly fiscally responsible Republicans, going to quit sitting impotently on the sidelines while the resident in what’s-left-of-the-White House spends obscene amounts of money to satisfy his Midas-like lust for all things to be gold? It’s worth noting that in the president’s oath in taking the reins a second time, he did choose to say, “I do solemnly ‘swear...’” rather than using the verb “affirm,” and he concluded the oath by saying, “So help me God,” an addendum that, I’m sure, was artfully uttered to ingratiate himself further with ...