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Concerns for Minneapolis

Early voting began Friday in Minneapolis for the city’s charter amendments. Among them is the question of whether to replace the Minneapolis Police Department with a Department of Public Safety. Whether this question passes or not, Minneapolis needs to do something about its crime problem. Minnesota’s largest city is suffering through a year where violent crime is on the rise, where each weekend brings news of more shootings. Many of the victims are children caught in the crossfires of randoms shootings. This weekend, for example, 11 people were injured in seven separate ...

Flu season upon us, time for vaccination

Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, some people have been thinking that the coronavirus is just another kind of flu virus. The fact is that COVID-19 may have similar symptoms, but it is not like a cold, it is not the flu. So as the flu season is approaching, health officials are urging people to get a flu shot this year. Last year’s flu outbreak was relatively mild, thanks to the precautions being taken because of COVID. Wearing masks, washing and sanitizing hands and social distancing helped stop the spread of lots of airborne illnesses, including the flu. Today, some people may be ...

Booster debate doesn’t change benefits of vaccine

To boost, or not to boost, that is the question being weighed by health experts and advisors in the FDA. There are differences of opinion in the federal government regarding giving booster shots of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. President Joe Biden and his top health advisors are pushing booster campaign, but others within the FDA are cautious about saying if this would be safe and effective. To those who are dubious about the COVID-19 vaccine in the first place, this is another sign that the federal government doesn’t know what it is doing, and therefore the vaccine is to be ...

Reason for Capitol Police to be concerned

The U.S. Capitol Police, who were overwhelmed Jan. 6 when a mob of Donald Trump supporters smashed their way into the Capitol in an attempt to stop Congress from verifying the election of President Joe Biden, are bracing again for possible violence this Saturday. More right-wing groups are planning a rally to protest the arrest and prosecution of people who participated in the violence. Organizers are calling the arrested rioters “political prisoners.” What they plan to do on Saturday isn’t exactly clear, but Capitol police are taking no chances on more violence, either from the ...

Manchin’s ‘modest’ spending limit

Sen. Joe Manchin, the moderate Democrat from West Virginia, stands like a lone bulwark of sanity amidst a sea of Democratic spending excess in Washington, D.C. As President Joe Biden stumps in the western states to push his $3.5 trillion “Build Back Better” spending package, Manchin is holding out for a far more modest spending bill. Manchin said he would support $1 trillion or $1.5 trillion in the spending bill, but not the $3.5 trillion in the current bill. Only in Washington could $1 trillion be considered “modest.” But there it is. And Manchin has the clout to shut down ...

Polio battle has lesson for current vaccination controversy

You will have to turn to the Baby Boomers to find people who remember what it was like when polio was the disease that scared people as much as COVID-19 does today. A contagious viral disease, polio carries dire symptoms. It starts with flu-like symptoms fever, sore throat, headache, vomiting, but also neck or back pain and stiffness, muscle weakness. It can advance to paralysis, wasting away of muscles, trouble breathing and death. It was a disease that terrified parents and led to cancellation of school and public gatherings. Parents wouldn’t let their kids go and play with their ...