Minnesota (Not So) Nice?

AMERICAN SCENE: Minnesota: A State That Works | August 13, 1973

I’ve always been very proud of my home state of Minnesota. I follow the news there just as much as I do the news here in Orlando. In fact, my home page on my internet browser is a Minnesota newspaper. I guess it’s because I view it as a pure and healthy place to raise a family devoid of pretension, pollution and shady leadership. It seems that’s the way it always used to be. I haven’t been there full-time in more than six years. When news headlines don’t contain the word ‘Minnesota’, things are normal, quiet and peaceful. No news is good news, they say.

I became concerned when I saw the article Minnestoa Nice turns nasty on Politico.com’s website. Things seem to be changing a bit. The government shut down Friday. As I type this, it’s been shut down for 2 days,  20 hours and 24 minutes according to a counter on Startribune.com. Minnesota is just one of five states that has shut down in the last decade. Legislators can’t agree. I understand hard times come and go – but it’s a far cry from what things used to be. Hopefully ‘Minnesota Nice’ can be restored and allow Minnesota to hide from the headlines. Again, the way thing used to be.

Once upon a time, Minnesota was featured in TIME magazine (beyond a short headline) for what else? Being a state ‘that works’.