Calm ceremony

THUBS UP: We should all be thankful that the thousands of National Guard troops who were called to Washington for the inauguration of Joe Biden, just two weeks after a violent mob broke into the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to keep him from office, were not tested. Their presence made anyone who may have had thoughts of disrupting the inauguration stay away.

The transfer of power to President Biden took place calmly and peacefully. There was pomp and ceremony, even if there was no crowd to cheer it on. There was music and a truncated parade. Finally Biden arrived back at the White House to start the latest job in his long career of public service.

Thank you to the National Guard who made sure it could happen.

Sports is back

THUMBS UP: High school athletic teams have started playing real games again, and even if there can’t be fans in the stands, there has to be a lot of joy among the athletes, their coaches and their families.

We know that having to wear a mask during a game takes some adjustment. But there are some great plays being made and great players making them. Like Madison Mathiowetz of St. Mary’s in Sleepy Eye, who scored her 2,000th career point in a basketball game against GFW Thursday. Great job, and we know there are many more to come.

Vaccine shortages

THUMBS DOWN: The problems that have plagued the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines are similar to unfunded government mandates, where a higher level of government orders lower level to do something, but doesn’t supply the funding. The Trump administration was urging states to expand their immunization programs, but wasn’t able to provide the vaccines to do it. The stockpile it said it would release had already been used up.

The problem seems to be states not knowing from week to week how much vaccine they will be getting. With any luck, the system will become more reliable and states can start planning better who, when and where to vaccinate.