Thoughts from those affected by the Minnesota State Government Shutdown.

I put out a call over the My Progressive Life Facebook page for stories from those affected by the Minnesota state government shutdown, and I got a couple back.  I always feel like it is important to get the stories of those who are personally affected by the decisions that are made in our houses [...]

The Day After the Minnesota State Government Shutdown: Part II.

For the second time in six years, the Minnesota state government officially went into shutdown mode at midnight.  The negotiations between Gov. Mark Dayton (DFL-MN) and the Republican-led legislative caucuses broke down early yesterday evening, and it was apparent for hours before the midnight that the deadline was not going to be met.  Because of [...]

The Minnesota State Government Shutdown: Part I.

Hopefully, this will be the only part that we have to do at My Progressive Life, as we are hoping that there can be some sort of budget deal before Minnesota’s government shuts down tonight at midnight.  However, I do not see this being quick, and I do not see this being painless, so I [...]

Government Shutdown Showdown Father’s Day Edition!

On this Father’s day naturally I am thinking a lot about my dad; a quiet man in his late forties, glasses, a graying beard, and a Masters degree from a state university. He got a pink slip about two weeks ago: a lay-off notice not due to poor job performance or misconduct or anything within [...]

As expected….

the Minnesota Governor’s race has gone from a thriller to a snoozer. The last two polls have shown former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton, the candidate of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, with leads of 9 and 11 points over State Rep. Tom Emmer, the Republican gubernatorial candidate.  The Star Tribune poll is pretty instructive because it was [...]

A breakdown of the gubernatorial election in Minnesota.

Minnesota holds its elections for statewide constitutional officers this year.  This post will focus on the gubernatorial race, as it is at the top of the ballot this year and the other races appear to be in hand for the incumbents.  The contestants in the gubernatorial race are former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton (Democratic-Farmer-Labor), State [...]

Do primaries help candidates (my thoughts on the Minnesota DFL endorsing process)?

During the 2008 Presidential Primary, I was (obviously) in the camp of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL).  Around February, it became obvious that U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) had no chance of catching Obama in the delegate count.  Yet, she still kept at it.  I would think that this was antithetical to the sort of [...]

2010 Minnesota Governor’s Race, considered

While I am no longer a Minnesota voter, this is a race that maintains my interest.  Indeed, I believe that the stakes are pretty high for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) next year.  If they cannot win next year, with seemingly every advantage that one could ever imagine going their way, then their chances to end [...]