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Brazil’s riots and the U.S. Capitol insurrection

The United States has long been a model for the world, inspiring people in other nations to throw off oppression and follow our path by creating stable, solid, democratic societies based on the rule of law, featuring the orderly and peaceful transfer of power. So maybe it shouldn’t come as a surprise that some Brazilians tried to take a lesson from the U.S. on Sunday. It was the wrong lesson. Brazil’s far-right election deniers rioted in the capital city of Brasilia on behalf of defeated ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, trashing that nation’s seat of government and copying the Jan. ...

Get on board with bus safety

We all know “The Arm of Safety,” aka “Mom Arm” aka “The Original Seatbelt.” The driver’s arm, usually parental, flings out unbidden against the chest of the passenger, usually filial, when unexpected braking occurs. Science hasn’t quite yet determined how many lives are saved by this uncontrollable, yet heroic act, although eye rolls appear to be the primary passenger response. But another “arm of safety” does save lives: the arms on a school bus that lower when making a stop. This arm clears all lanes of traffic for children to cross the road and get on ...

FTC and union organization

The Biden Administration’s rule by regulation is gaining speed, and the latest example is the Federal Trade Commission’s plan to ban non-compete employment agreements. In a flash, Lina Khan’s bureaucracy will rewrite labor contracts for 30 million workers. The FTC’s proposed rule is an air kiss to Big Labor, which demanded that the agency ban non-competes in 2019. Unions want opposition to non-competes as a tool in their organizing kit. Ms. Khan tweeted that one in five U.S. workers is currently “bound” by a non-compete clause that prevents them from switching jobs and thus ...

Make voting easy, protect poll workers

We’ve long advocated to make voting easier, secure and credible in Minnesota. Now, the Legislature can make it happen and we wholeheartedly support the effort. With the DFL in charge of the House, Senate and governor’s office, the time has come to secure voting rights far into Minnesota’s future. It’s unfortunate the Republican Party in past few years has stonewalled DFL efforts, for example, to make it easier to vote and register to vote. The Minnesota GOP was walking lockstep with out of touch national party that was successful in making it more difficult to vote in many ...

House clerk ’s role during the recent Speaker chaos

The person who deserves a standing ovation after this week’s House speaker chaos is clerk Cheryl Johnson. She has been the calm presence at the front of the House chamber, keeping order with a gavel, a poker face and a lot of dignity. Without a speaker in place, she was temporarily in charge. There was no rulebook for the role in which she found herself. In fact, there are no rules at all for the House until a new speaker takes over. The reason proceedings weren’t dysfunctional was largely because of Ms. Johnson’s ability to command respect — and even admiration — from ...

Seek a bolder vision for U’s medical center

A resurrected merger proposed by Fairview and South Dakota-based Sanford Health has provided one road map for the University of Minnesota Medical Center’s future: adding its hospitals and clinics to a regional health care system with headquarters in Sioux Falls. But given these institutions’ foundational importance to Minnesotans’ health and economic well-being, it’s imperative to develop alternatives to a future determined by out-of-state executives for these facilities, which the U sold to Fairview in a controversial 1997 deal. Needed as soon as possible is a competing plan ...