News & Articles

Makes no sense to me

So, how do ya like federal government run by illogical folks with free rein to paint pools, declare war and build massive monuments to themselves? Makes no sense to me.  

Township government is a microcosm of the same free rein with no oversight wild ride on taxpayer money. Unlimited power can cause illogical thinking at this level too.   

Our area became a township in 1980. The contract with St Louis County was that we would build a town hall to have a voting site, and take over responsibility for maintaining a gravel 2.3 mile township road.  
Beautiful area, nice people but that contract to “maintain” a cartway between cabins has been the primary taxpayer problem from the first. Narrow, hilly winding road is a beautiful ride, but no base under the road bed, running through wetland area, potholes like craters, dust has made it a burden to maintain in a small township.

There are 493 parcels in our Township, 88 on the 2.3 miles (70 tax paying) 17.84% of the township - 405 parcels remaining. This shows about 66 cents of every tax dollar goes to benefit less than 1/4th of our citizens. No Community Center/Town Hall has been built, so early and contiguous records have been impossible to keep.   

A lovely Town building site was donated by citizens, but the Town Board’s attention has been occupied with the Town road for years. An LRIP grant was applied for to upgrade the road and the grant was denied as the road is a dead end, and had too little traffic to warrant the grant. Also, there is no commerce or lake access, only residents and their visitors use the road.  Now SLC says $1 million will be needed to improve the 2.3 miles of this Township road and our Town Board feels the whole Township must be taxed to pay the $1 million as our circumstance does not meet grant requirements.  

They did form a hybrid Subordinate District - not to pay for changes they desire paid by themselves, but to pay a bit more to the tax increase we all will pay for their driveway. Our Town Supervisor and one other board Supervisor and our County Auditor live or have a property on this road and many neighbors feel that as County 44 is partially paid for with their county tax, it’s only fair the entire town population pay to allow them the same quality road. 44 is a heavily traveled connector route with big trucks, campers, lots of traffic- the town road is a dead end access to residences, a lovely woodland drive, with no destination but home. One million in tax dollars, benefitting one fourth of the taxable citizens, a small town with big needs.    

Hmmm sound fair to you?
Bonnie Dressen
Pequaywan Township, Minnesota

Trump steps up phony rhetoric
as GOP continues to fail America

According to a recent Reuters analysis, “the President invoked the word “communism” 81 times between June 23 and July 6 to describe his political opponents, including referring to newly nominated Democratic candidates as “hardcore godless communists.” Such rhetoric relies on a familiar political tactic: replacing thoughtful debate with emotionally charged labels designed to provoke fear rather than encourage reasoned discussion.

Calling someone a “communist” is a convenient way to fear monger and dismiss ideas without engaging in serious policy discussions.
Americans should have vigorous debates about taxation, government spending, healthcare, and even the proper role of government. But those policy debates ought to focus on values and outcomes — not ideological caricatures.
A fair tax system, in which the wealthiest individuals and largest corporations contribute proportionately to the society that enabled their success, is not a radical proposition. It is the foundation of modern democratic governments in the western world. Tax revenue funds the public investments that benefit the common good: infrastructure, e’xcellent schools for all, scientific research, public safety, the environment, and a basic social safety net for the have-nots. These investments also create long-term economic growth and prosperity for ALL.

Likewise, advocating for affordable healthcare, housing, childcare, eldercare, and wages that allow working families to thrive reflects universal human aspirations, not a godless communist agenda. Asking whether billionaires and multinational corporations should pay a larger share of taxes is a legitimate policy question debated throughout democratic nations with market economies.

The United States has operated as a mixed-market economy for almost 90 years, where private enterprise and capitalism coexist with a public social safety net. This mixed economy did not emerge by accident. 
During the Industrial Revolution, chronic poverty, job loss & economic displacement, and the absence of social protections left many elderly people, widows, orphans, people with disabilities, and the unemployed confined to workhouses or poorhouses. Charles Dickens chronicled these conditions not merely to evoke sympathy but to expose the moral costs of a society that neglected its most vulnerable citizens.

Dickens’ critique reflected a broader moral tradition rooted in Christian teaching. Jesus consistently identified with the poor, the sick, and those pushed to the margins of society, teaching that compassion for “the least of these” is a measure of our humanity. Dickens argued that charity alone was insufficient; society also bore a responsibility to reform institutions that perpetuated unnecessary suffering. Over time, Britain and other democratic nations adopted labor protections, progressive taxation, and social programs in response to these realities.

Reasonable people will disagree about the best policies to address affordability, economic opportunity, and wealth inequality. Those disagreements are healthy in a robust & vibrant democracy. What is unhealthy is reducing every discussion to ideological slurs and demonization of the opposition that shut down honest debate. Americans deserve arguments grounded in facts, history, and a genuine concern for the common good — not more name-calling designed to divide us.
Valerie Myntti
Ely, Minnesota

What a maroon!

President Trump’s latest comments shows how little he knows. He said that Iranians were scum. How would he like it if they called us ugly Americans? Don’t judge people on what their country’s leaders do. Then he said that the war between Russia and Ukraine doesn’t affect us. Not true because Putin has made it clear by his actions that he wants world dominance like the former Soviet Union.

I’ve also noticed that Trump seems to need constant attention. First there was his AI image of himself as the Pope then as Jesus, then he calls the Obamas apes and Michelle a man. The list goes on and on. Maybe he should use his energy for the American people and not on his self.  Then of course he thinks that he’s going to get the peace prize for starting the war with Iran.
Cecilia Hill
Duluth, Minnesota