Simply put, well said.

Two things.

One, this article nails it. All this Republican bleating about almost non-existent voter fraud is all about disenfranchising folks who predominantly vote Democratic. Hell, I’d almost respect them more if they were honest about that.

Also, I like the comparison between the *fear* of voter contamination versus the actual small number of incidents as opposed to the large percentage of homicides committed with weapons. We have 14 states trying to solve a problem you need to be Sherlock Holmes to find in improper voting, yet almost anyone can legally own a weapon that can kill a person.

Strange, no?

Secondly, give the article a read. This is what I know Minnesota to be. Not Michelle Bachmann or Tim Pawlenty or Norm Coleman or folks who demand gays cannot marry while they sully their “traditional marriage” like former State Senator leader Amy Koch.

Folks like the author. Or the governor, Mark Dayton. Or Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, our senators. Or Tim Walz, our rep around these parts. Rational people, hell, even funny people despite – or maybe because of – all the challenges that face us.

Given the non-stop screeching of the GOP these days, it is good to remember that one of the reasons I moved here was to be around folks who want to make this nation better, and not just a Southern Baptist copy of Iran.

Some interesting cultural perspectives here, as well as some need to re-examine ye old “Protestant work ethic”.

You don’t have to be a Puritan to like your job and do it well. Something folks need to consider when they are sitting on their laurels as we Americans seem too busy doing these days.

Some thoughts on how technology affected 2011.