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Everything old is new

It has become fashionable to embrace things and activities that are from a former era. In other words, “old” is now the new “new.” This is great news for people like me, who never threw out those bellbottoms that young hipsters are currently wearing in order to appear hip. They might think that wearing such clothing is done in an ironic manner, but it just makes them look moronic. Lost somewhere in the dusty archives of our family photos is a snapshot of me at the age of 10. I’m kneeling beside our International Harvester single disk with a grease gun in my hand. A piece ...

New Ulm Film Society bids ‘A Farewell to Arms’

NEW ULM – The New Ulm Film Society enters the First World War with a screening of “A Farewell to Arms.” The screening begins 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 11 at the New Ulm Library. This is the fifth film in the film society’s America and War series. “A Farewell to Arms” is based on the novel of the same name by Ernest Hemingway. The book has been adapted three times. The Film Society will be screening the 1957 version starring Rock Hudson and Jennifer Jones. The novel and the film tell the story of Lt. Frederic Henry (Hudson), an American medic serving in the Italian Army as ...

Western Minnesota’s future depends on pipeline development

Western Minnesota runs on reliable energy and the infrastructure that moves it. From heating homes to powering farms, pipelines keep this region running. Yet every time a new project is proposed, we get the same tired opposition from people who ignore how critical they are for jobs, economic growth, and affordable energy. As a former business representative for Local 49, I’ve seen firsthand what these projects mean for working families. When we build pipelines — whether for natural gas, carbon capture, or anything else — we’re not just moving fuel. We’re creating ...

Time to cut taxes to protect Minnesota’s future

Just two years ago, Minnesota had a historic surplus of nearly $19 billion. Yet instead of using that windfall to deliver lasting relief to the taxpayers who helped create it, DFL legislators pushed through a massive spending spree and introduced a host of new taxes. Today, our state faces a projected budget deficit of $5.1 billion, and working families are caught in the middle. If we fail to act, that deficit will be “fixed” by even more tax hikes, compounding the burden on Minnesotans who already pay some of the highest tax rates in the country. It’s time for our elected ...

Stop politicizing child care

The word “fraud” has been thrown around lately, especially in connection with child care in Minnesota. It’s important to remember, this is an old and familiar tactic. Cry fraud, then use the cry of fraud to discredit a program. The goal being to defund the program. With the current target being Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), the perpetuating of this “fraud” letter/rumor is with no care to if the fraud is real or not. The claim is that because a child care center has licensing violations and is receiving CCAP payments, it is somehow committing fraud. As a child care ...

Spinning for the Rotary Club

I had never been to a Rotary Club meeting, so I didn’t know what to expect. What do Rotarians even do? Are they obsessed with switching around the tires on their cars? Do they track Earth’s spin on its axis? Mike Lamb, editor of the Marshall Independent newspaper, recently invited me to address a meeting of the Marshall, Minnesota Rotary Club. I had never knowingly interacted with a Rotarian – let alone a group of them – but I’ve never let a trivial matter such as a total lack of experience stand in my way. The lunchtime meal served at the meeting was tater tot ...