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Daily vaccination updates is the right thing

The world’s scientists have completed their miraculous mission of developing a COVID-19 vaccine. Now, the focus shifts to actually giving people the shots. This is a massive challenge that will take months at a minimum to accomplish. Fortunately, Minnesotans will be able to closely monitor progress here thanks to a sensible change made by the state Department of Health. Health officials have started daily public updates on the number of COVID inoculations administered across the state. The data had been shared weekly since the first limited vaccine shipments arrived in ...

Time to clean up VA

It has been the worst American year since at least 1968, or 1862, or, arguably, ever. It has, however, provided episodes that will amaze and perhaps amuse a calmer future America. There has been feverish statue-toppling: Up with “social justice,” so down with Ulysses S. Grant, pulverizer of the slavocracy. School names from the past are scrubbed away in order to signal the superior virtue of the scrubbers: San Francisco’s School Names Advisory Committee - really - objects to Abraham Lincoln High School because he sinned against various 2020 sensibilities. And 2020 concludes with ...

Keep politics away from CDC, other agencies

When politicians talk about “the science,” they often limit discussion to their science. As long as we understand that, we can defend ourselves by checking more reliable sources. But what happens when the politicians start tinkering with primary sources — with reports from government agencies most people consider to be objective and honest? Even bearing in mind that the House of Representatives is controlled by Democrats who can set the agendas for committee investigations, a news report last week was disturbing. It involved an investigation by a House subcommittee chaired by ...

Keep ‘Warp Speed’ going at top speed

Distribution of millions of doses of vaccine effective against COVID-19 was no Christmas miracle. It happened only because many people at private drug companies worked hard and at top speed — encouraged by the federal government — to develop and test the vaccines. And they were released much sooner than would normally have happened because regulatory agencies adopted President Donald Trump’s “warp speed” strategy. One need not be an admirer of Trump to give him and his administration credit for that. Their efforts to get the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines available quickly have ...

Emmer has one last chance to get it right

There’s an old saying in politics: “When it’s clear you’ve lost, declare victory and depart the field of battle.” That would have been easy for 6th District U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, because the National Republican Congressional Committee chairman had a lot of victories to declare after the nation’s votes were counted last month: Republicans gained 13 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and might hold control of the Senate, depending on how Georgia votes in two runoffs Jan. 5. Democrat stalwart Collin Peterson was ousted in favor of Republican Michelle Fischbach, a ...

Joy to the world — Merry Christmas

It is Christmas Eve, one like nothing in our memories. In too many homes, the silence tonight is painful, not comforting. It is the absence of precious family members, cherished friends, neighbors who were more than that. We are assaulted by something that on this holy night is an unholy monster we cannot even see. Yet it is Christmas Eve. Tomorrow, Christians celebrate the glorious birth of the Messiah. There will be joy in our world, because of what the birth of Christ means to us and to the loved ones we have lost. Christmas Day is a busy time in many homes. There are gifts to ...