“In 1796, as his second term in office drew to a close, President George Washington chose not to seek re-election. Mindful of the precedent his conduct set for future presidents, Washington feared that if he were to die while in office, Americans would view the presidency as a lifetime appointment. Instead, he decided to step down from power, providing the... READ MORE >
While the U.S. Supreme Court declared in 1947—some 70 years ago—“The First Amendment has erected a wall between church and state [and] that wall must be kept high and impregnable”; … adding, “We could not approve the slightest breach,” it would appear only one of the two parties held up their side of the ruling: The Church. While the Church... READ MORE >
A little over three miles from where the Minnesota Vikings recently met their Waterloo—Lincoln Financial Field—the first Committee of the Whole gathered at Congress Hall in Philadelphia in 1789, the same place where the United States Bill of Rights was ratified two years later (mentions nothing about the “right to tackle!”). Forgive me; I’m digressing… the long history of the... READ MORE >
Over 100 countries around the world have implemented some form of freedom of information legislation empowering the public’s ability to monitor its government. While extroverted Ben Franklin was preoccupied in Great Britain in 1766—confronting King George III and the English Parliament on the topic of personal freedoms—some 1,435 miles to the northeast, the shy, conflict-avoiding Swedes were introducing their Freedom... READ MORE >
After several years of growing pressure from county officials nationwide, the 94th Congress—under then-President Gerald Ford—passed the Payments in Lieu of Taxes Act in October 1976, which provided annual payments to counties beginning in 1977. On the heels of the federal legislation, the State of Minnesota’s lawmakers followed suit, approving State PILT payments in 1979. Federal and State PILT legislation... READ MORE >
While the recent property taxpayer survey would seem to indicate that most folks believe the county gets all its money directly from people’s pocketbooks, it is a little more—note, I said, “a little more”—entangled than that. Among the many survey respondents, there were those who suggested the source of county revenues be explained, and perhaps adding flow charts and pie... READ MORE >
When my wife Renée’s father passed away some 16 years ago, her older brother began removing items from the family home. Tucked away under her father’s bed was discovered an old brown Moroccan leather violin case enshrouded in a thin layer of dust. Upon further inspection, the small portable case, exhibiting a simple beauty of outline, was found to house... READ MORE >
Who hasn’t watched Charlie Brown pluck a large Christmas ornament from Snoopy’s prize-winning doghouse and hang it at the top of the “lovable loser’s” spindly evergreen, only to watch the sapling— seemingly unable to hold the ornament’s weight— immediately droop to the ground. “Argh! I’ve killed it!” The scene, taken from Charles Schulz’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas”—which made its debut... READ MORE >
Journalism at times is referred to as “the fourth estate,” a segment of society that wields an indirect but significant influence on society even though it is not formally recognized as part of the political system. It is seen by some as being imperative to the functioning of a healthy and just society. Thomas Jefferson, writing from Paris in 1787... READ MORE >
It’s been five hundred years—although it seems like yesterday—since an energetic 33-year-old Augustinian friar, Martin Luther, is said to have approached the main entrance to the Castle Church of Wittenberg Germany to hammer a list of grievances to its gargantuan doors. Dubbed the “ Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences,” more commonly known as “The Ninety- Five Theses,”... READ MORE >
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