Author: Rice County Republicans

Kathy Brown Dodds, local chair of the Rice County Republicans penned this fine letter of support on behalf of Joe Moravchik’s run for MN House 20B. To the editor: Knowing that Rep. Todd Lippert is a far-left liberal, pushing legislation that would take away parental inclusion in educational curriculum, encourage more government oversight and regulations on small businesses and public land usage, I suggest that it’s time for him to step away and let someone who really cares about individual rights take the District 20B seat in the State House. Lippert has not listened to his constituents who want big government to get out of the way in order to let individuals chart their own path to success. And he has stood with Gov. Walz who has shut down all of Minnesota with a “one size fits all” solution to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lippert let our local restaurants and small businesses suffer and die because they were forced to close, even in rural counties with few cases of the virus. While other local legislators, Sen. Jasinski, Sen. Draheim and Rep. Daniels all pleaded with the governor to loosen restrictions, Lippert was silent. He followed his party line, and did not have the best interests of the voters in his district. We can do better; we have an alternative, someone who puts politics aside and works toward the betterment of...

I became a non-believer in January 1992. I was teaching in a school district that “balanced” the schedules of teachers of “gifted/talented” students by assigning each a section of non-college-bound seniors. It was the tried-and-true way to cover classes that nobody wanted to teach. From day one, my seniors made clear that they didn’t want to be in class. I shared that sentiment. The course had clearly been designed to ask so little of students that they could not fail to graduate. It inspired nobody. Fortunately, I saw in those reluctant students glimpses of my dad, a brilliant drop-out. I unilaterally jettisoned the approved curriculum, substituting materials and strategies I used with my advanced classes. Doing so violated district policy and put my job in jeopardy. It was the most successful teaching of my career, but there were failures, too. It was those kids I couldn’t reach—that the education system had never reached—who caused me to recant my union’s doctrine of one-size-fits-all education. I swore a new allegiance—to freedom of choice in education. Nearly 30 years after my break with education orthodoxy, we find ourselves in a declared pandemic that challenges the modern creed for correct living. Suddenly, we’re re-examining the dogmas of ever-denser housing, ever-more-mass transit, ever-larger sporting and entertainment venues, ever-more-mega malls, churches, hospitals and school districts. Suddenly, truck drivers are recognized in the pantheon of “essential...

To the editor: These days it seems that everyone is talking about the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been little else in the news. For good reason; we are up against a new disease that crawled out of the proverbial jungles of China. The economic hardships resulting from our government’s decision to shutter our public habits is a plight of its own. As we discuss how to fight the disease, we should also be discussing another topic: the reopening of our economy. Not everyone wants to have this conversation, but it is a necessary one. Some of our bolder elected leaders, like U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn, have been willing to have this conversation. One example of a company doing the same thing is SageGlass. SageGlass, based in our very own Faribault, is a crucial manufacturer of electrochromic glass, which is essential for modern construction practices. They have been shut down since March 16 but plan to re-open soon with beefed-up sterilization and sanitation practices, and a strict social distancing guideline. This approach seems sensible. Hagedorn and others are right, we need to implement responsible ways to unleash the workforce and restart our economy. The current path, which in Minnesota appears to be based on inaccurate modeling and overly pessimistic assumptions, is completely unsustainable. Thanks to SageGlass for helping lead the way to return to the normalcy we so desperately need....