Pay attention to power bases

August 20, 2026

How one can predict what another person will do under pressure? I admit that nothing is 100%, but it is better than 50%. The first thing is to pay attention to social and economic power bases. Those are the people where social and economic approval is wanted and valued. For example, two senators said they would obstruct a nomination unless they got a concession. One also said he really wanted to vote for the nomination. Both senators ended up withdrawing their objections to the nomination consistent with the social and power bases they ascribe to. The reason for the withdrawal was ...

To be a great country

August 3, 2026

Is a great country based on power or the substance of its character and influence in the world? It is often said by politician and others that this country is the greatest in the world largely based on its wealth and power and a myth of opportunity for all. Many countries in the past and present have been wealthy and powerful but lack character due to oppression, brutality of minorities and religious acceptance of that within the country. Our country’s history puts us in that category. In my opinion, a country can become great but has to accept its past brutality, arrogance, ...

Tractor ride to VA set for Wednesday

July 14, 2026

On Wednesday, the Northwoods Antique Tractor Club will have its 12th-annual Tractor Ride to the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain. We will leave Lodal Park in Kingsford — note: this is a new departure site — at 10 a.m. and travel Breitung Avenue east to Carpenter ...

Look needed at lifeguard and goose control at Lake Antoine

June 12, 2026

On Monday, I asked the Dickinson County Board of Commissioners to consider a practical next step for Lake Antoine Park: Authorizing exploration of a limited 2027 lifeguard pilot for the public beach. This is not a request for full-time lifeguards, whole-beach coverage or an open-ended funding commitment. It is a request to gather real information from a qualified aquatics provider about whether weekend and holiday lifeguard coverage could be offered safely, professionally and feasibly during the 2027 summer season. Lake Antoine is one of Dickinson County’s most valuable public ...

Logging plan at Cooks Run destined to fail

May 29, 2026

I want to be clear right up front: I am pro-logging. I used to work as a logger, and I understand the value of timber management to our local economy. But anyone who has run equipment in the woods knows a basic truth — some ground simply needs to be left alone. The proposed clear-cut at Cooks Run (Unit 4), which has a June 3 bidding deadline, is exactly that kind of ground. Just because we can log a piece of land doesn’t mean we should. Why is Iron County risking a 122-acre public asset for a marginal return on low-grade pulpwood? The harvest zone is a 5-acre island of saturated, ...

Case for driving an electric car

May 14, 2026

As communities across the country grapple with rising fuel costs, air pollution and the growing impacts of global warming, one solution is becoming increasingly clear — the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. Electric cars offer a cleaner, more sustainable alternative to gasoline-powered vehicles. By producing zero tailpipe emissions, they reduce air pollution and improve public health, especially in urban areas where smog and poor air quality disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. When you factor in that EVs cost roughly 50% less to fuel, and with fewer moving ...