Articles

Column: Woes of higher education grow

Public higher education in America is in deep trouble, yet top University of Minnesota officials are doing the academic version of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

• Virgil Swing

Taxpayer group’s figures show size of government pensions

I had intended to refrain from commenting on the unaffordable retirement benefits for public employees for a few weeks, but a taxpayer group has dug up information about retiree pensions in Minnesota (including Duluth and St. Louis County) and it’s a good time to revisit this topic.

• Virgil Swing

It's time to seriously consider cuts in school retiree benefits

VIRGIL SWING: Some Duluth School Board members are finally talking about something that should have been on their agenda a long time ago: scaling back employees’ unaffordable fringe benefits.

• Virgil Swing

Some mining opponents simply don't want to disturb nature

VIRGIL SWING: There’s no question that the word “natural” has great appeal for many folks. Almost every product that can claim with a straight face to be natural proudly says so on its label.

• Virgil Swing

Set ranked-choice voting ballot, then educate residents on it

A local task force that looked into the issue has urged Duluth City Councilors to ask residents on the 2013 ballot whether they want to use ranked-choice voting in city elections.

• Virgil Swing

BIZ Blog: Dairy Queen opens, spring to follow

The Dairy Queen on Central Entrance is already open for business.

Flawed high-speed rail plan not key in Duluth transit center

Duluth’s legislative delegation has made a $6 million request for the proposed downtown multimodal transit center a high priority in the current session.

• Virgil Swing

Frustrated Republicans plan to junk up state constitution

Many Tea Party members and some Supreme Court justices love it too fervently, but the U.S. Constitution is a thing of beauty. It has served well for nearly 225 years as the key document of a diverse, complex and ever-changing nation.

• Virgil Swing

Precinct caucuses don’t work as a way to pick candidates

In a little over two weeks Minnesota Republicans will tell others in their party who should be the GOP nominee for president. Actually, they’ll sort of say who should get the nod, because at precinct caucuses their preferences will be expressed in a straw poll.

• Virgil Swing

Duluth casino profits should be shared by band and city

Editor’s note: The deadline for this column passed before Thursday’s press conference, at which Mayor Don Ness said the city of Duluth is considering the possibility of halting all gaming at Fond-du-Luth Casino, among other options.

• Virgil Swing

Columns

Postal Service cuts inevitable as e-mail is eating its lunch

VIRGIL SWING: It would probably be easier to close the big U.S. Air Force base in Bagram than to shut down the Post Office in Finland, Minn.

Duluth voters elect spenders but reject school tax hikes

VIRGIL SWING: It’s almost as if two different groups went to the polls in the recent Duluth school election: one voted only on property tax issues and said: “Limit spending” while the other group cast ballots only for candidates and said: “Put big spenders on the School Board.”

Many keep watch on us as others are secretive

I’ve written occasionally about how Americans’ privacy just isn’t what it used to be. A few months ago I contrasted that scrutiny of our lives with an increasing effort by groups to keep their activities secret.

• Columnist

Occupiers’ cause valid, but wrong things blamed

I sympathize with the broad goals of the Occupy Wall Street protesters (and cohorts in Duluth and many other cities), and I hope the protests catch the attention of Washington and lead to change.

• Photo

Virgil Swing: Too many venal doctors now blur ethical lines

Recent decades have seen increasing examples of bad doctoring. I don’t mean the occasional incompetent who somehow made it through medical school. I refer to continuing examples of some doctors — and not just a few — blurring ethical lines that should be sacrosanct.

• Virgil Swing

Virgil Swing: Handicapped parkers treated fairly by city officials

Some thoughts on three local issues in the news lately.

• Virgil Swing

Virgil Swing: As Americans lose privacy, government adds secrets

I’ve written a few times about all the ways our actions and movements are monitored by others, including both public and private groups, making privacy a sometimes scarce quality. In Duluth the most common forms are all the cameras taking our pictures as we drive along I-35, walk near the Lakewalk, or visit businesses and government agencies. There are probably more I don’t know about.

• Virgil Swing

Virgil Swing: Schools, University of Minnesota ignore reforms

The outgoing president of the University of Minnesota describes the budget for the next school year as “dismal,” and the regent representing Northeastern Minnesota calls it “the least objectionable of a number of poor choices.”

• Virgil Swing

Signs of big changes afoot for government employees

These needed changes will be painful as workers lose benefits they’ve come to think of as entitlements and public officials endure strikes. But these changes must be made to protect key services and limit layoffs of public employees.

• Virgil Swing

Signs of fall: beer cans and illegally parked cars

College housing issues are also in front of us as Duluth planners write a new zoning law for the city. That effort is to end next summer with new rules to replace ones more than 50 years old.