Opinion

While the U.S. Constitution protects freedom of speech it is sometimes abused. A good demonstration of that is a current ad that was published in the Kanabec County Times by the Democratic Party making some very harsh claims that the Republicans are obstructionists and the "do nothing party."

We just marked the end of 2011 - a year lots of people are more than happy to put behind them.

As many of you know, 2012 is an election year, which means the inevitable political phone calls, mailings and commercials urging you to vote for one candidate or give them your money.

In response to recent letters and advertisements clarification is necessary:

On Jan. 21, 2012, I attended a town hall meeting for Democratic Party hopeful Rick Nolan who is running against Chip Cravaack for the United States House seat.

Everyone needs a hobby. It doesn't matter how busy you are. People must find time to do something they enjoy, away from the everyday hustle and bustle of the busy world we all live in.

Reading Representative Crawford's diatribe about Governor Dayton left me wondering, what color is the sky in his world? His opinion on the stadium issue seemed to indicate he wanted the governor to be psychic and present a plan wrapped in a bow that the Legislature's Republicans and the citizens would support.

I have been watching this situation unfold via your publication and other news sources. I have also been watching the public comment about it pretty much since the day the incident was reported.

Last Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012 in the Minneapolis Star Tribune there was an editorial that was headlined, "Dayton's first-year marks are high." The link to the editorial is here: http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/136453913.html.

I first would like to continue to encourage Kanabec County Times followers on Facebook to continue to post comments. Over the past two months, we have had a tremendous amount of comments. At times we have had over 70 comments on a wall post. This is great and shows that the community cares for local news.

Dear National Organization Representing Senior Citizens,

Rep. Cravaack's letter on Keystone XL's pipeline is geographically and factually challenged. He has bought the industry and party talking points hook, line, and sinker.

As a follow-up to my previous letter regarding Johnson Controls Inc. and the problems we are now encountering since our own school district hired them, I enclosed an article taken from a recent edition of our local paper, the Timberjay.

For all those that celebrate Christmas, I hope it was very merry and filled with lots of love, joy, happiness and laughter and that you were surrounded by people close to your hearts. And of course I hope you ate a lot of good food!

Once in a while an idea comes along that should receive overwhelming bipartisan, if not unanimous, support. One such idea is being held up in the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Senate.

Axel Zirbes is a cute 4-year-old boy with bright eyes and a big smile. He also happens to have no hair on his head. That's because Axel is being treated for leukemia.

As we celebrate the Christmas season many homeowners, farmers and business owners are looking at their property tax statements and asking what happened? A friend of mine called me and said his property taxes went from $2,400 to $4,900. While not typical, judging from the turnout at the Truth in Taxation hearings throughout our area large increases are not uncommon.

Who wears a bright red robe with white fur trim around the neck, waist and sleeve? Most of us instantly think of Santa Claus, especially this time of year. If you are familiar with the legal system in Canada, however, you might have a different answer.

There is still something nice about receiving a handwritten letter in the mail. It's even more of a surprise when a letter comes inside a carefully taped up box.

There are two types of people in this world: those who run and those who can't.

Nobody should have to choose between safety and shelter. Yet 48 percent of homeless women in Minnesota have previously stayed in abusive situations because they did not have safehousing options available to them.

I must be very naive. I really thought (and many others also thought) I would get a representative in St. Paul for me and the majority of the people in our district when I voted for Roger Crawford. Instead we got a representative that not only gave himself a paid vacation this summer but represents his own agenda.

"You don't need to hear everything at my age," my father said when he was going deaf. "Once you get the drift of the subject your mind fills in the rest because you've heard it all before."

The recent decision by Governor Mark Dayton to hold an election calling for the unionization of licensed, in-home child care providers is troubling and problematic. Dayton said a vote was the most fair and American way to resolve the dispute of whether to form a union. But in reviewing the election, nothing about it is fair.