When is enough enough?

I have lived in Minnesota longer then any other state. I love our house, our neighborhood and being able to drive around Lake Minnetonka and seeing the beautiful scenery while doing errands. I enjoy the changing seasons and the cold crisp winter mornings. One thing I don't enjoy is the continual rise in taxes. For some reason, the Minnesota legislature believes that anyone making over minimum wage should give all their money to the State, that we are not smart enough to manage our own money.

The second plan would simply add a fourth tax rate that could go as high as 10 percent, Bakk said. That would give Minnesota the highest income tax rate in the nation. The state's existing top rate is 7.85 percent. Only three states have top tax rates of 9 percent or more.

This is on top of the 20 cent gas increase and other taxes that have been proposed by the legislature this year. I don't mind paying my fair share. We have been blessed in our lives and are more then happy to help those who have less then us. Where the legislature and I part ways is in that I feel I can better decide where my money should go then they can. Sorry, it is a trust issue.

I would have to leave Minnesota, but although I may be giving up a lot, the money saved on taxes would pay for a lot of trips back here to visit.

Take a moment

I was talking to my Mom earlier today to get an update on my brother in law Jack's condition ( he had a brain tumor removed on Tuesday). Mom mentioned that both Jack and Denise were overwhelmed by the out pouring of support from co-workers and friends. It didn't surprise me a bit.

Denise and Jack are both nurses, and for all of their careers they have touched so many lives. Not only the patients that they have cared for but the co-workers and friends who they have also cared for and nurtured. They are the kind of people who are the first ones to offer a hand for a friend who needs a boost. They are positive and upbeat and don 't have to take a moment to think "What would Jesus do?" They know and they do. They don't hesitate to pitch in and help when needed, whether a phone call, a pat on the back or just a quick note saying "I care, you are not alone."

Our lives are so busy, so often it isn't until someone is critically ill or dying that we tell them how we feel and sometimes it is just too late. Is there someone you know who you have been meaning to call, or a neighbor who could use a break from her kids, or someone at work that just needs someone to talk to? Take a moment and make that call, write that letter and let them know they are not alone. That they are appreciated and loved.

Don't just do it today, make it a point to do something for someone else every day. What a change that can make in our world.

P.S. Take a moment to pray for Jack's full recovery so he can continue to touch lives.

An Open Letter to the MN Legislature

I am appalledat the Minnesota House and Senate’s response to the Minnesota High School Athletic League (MSHSL) change of by-laws regarding student athletes utilizing open enrollment not for academics, but for athletics. I feel that as a legislative body you have more important things to worry about like say, balancing the budget, transportation etc. I guess ALL 48 MEMBERS VOTED FORT THIS BILL are well meaning, but don’t really know what they are doing. This group is made up of high school principals, coaches, athletic directors and others who are dealing with the issues of open enrollment on a daily basis really don’t understand what is going on. Think of all the poor kids who just want a chance to better themselves through open enrollment. But what about the other side?

There is a group of kids who have up until now been deeply affected by open enrollment. These are the kids who have worked hard since kindergarten to improve their skills. The kids who sat in the stands watching the high school team dreaming of the time when they could represent their school. They work hard to hone their skills and finally get to high school. They are the ones who are told “sorry, you didn’t make the team” because someone from another city or area has decided that they don’t like the coach in their school district or feel they have a better chance of being seen by a scout at your school. It is always difficult to be cut from a team. But the pill is even bitterer when you are displaced by someone who doesn’t even know the school mascot or cares.

Be very careful in your deliberations. You are setting a dangerous precedent. This ruling does not eliminate students from extracurricular activities; rather it prevents students from moving from school to school to get a better coach, better position or more exposure to enhance their athletic ambitions. The MSHSL was put in place to govern student athletes. Let them do their job and you get back to doing yours.

Father (or rather the MN Legislature) Knows Best

Late last week the Minnesota State High School League, the body responsible for governing High School sports in Minnesota voted 48-0 to implement a new policy for student athletes who transfer to another school district after 9th grade.

Seventy-two hours after the Minnesota State High School League finalized
new rules to tighten eligibility restrictions on athletes who change
schools, the Minnesota Legislature took the first step toward overruling
that action. By a 3-2 vote Monday, a House subcommittee approved a bill that
would make it illegal to limit the eligibility of any transfer students. The
Disparities in Student Support and Service subcommittee moved the measure
forward to the K-12 Finance Committee, which could hear the bill next week.
Last Friday the MSHSL representative assembly voted 48-0 to enact the
new rule, which is scheduled to take affect for the 2007-08 school year. It
forces athletes who change schools without a change of residence to sit out
varsity competition for one year. Under the current rule there is no penalty
for first-time transfers; students who transfer a second time must sit out
half their varsity season. A bill in the Senate that was a companion to the
House bill was defeated in committee earlier this month. Should legislation
be resurrected in the Senate, move through both chambers and become law, it
would remove all restrictions on eligibility and might allow athletes to
compete for more than one school during one season.

Who are these rabblerousers who want to limit parents (oh, I mean student athletes) from traipsing from one school to another to showcase their skills? The esteemed Debra Hilstrom, DFL-Brooklyn Center classifies them as such "When you look at the makeup of the people that are on that committee, it is primarily made up of coaches, athletic directors, principals, those kinds of things," she said. " Of course! The coaches, principals and athletic directors have no idea of how these things work and how their school districts are affected. But don't take my word for it. Here is a link to the by law . I especially appreciated the last paragraph

address the belief that students who live in a community should be the ones representing their school and that they should not be immediately displaced by others who choose to attend a school but who do not reside in the community

From the time they are in kindergarten, many kids dream of playing for their high school team. For some, they are just not good enough to make the cut. But the cut is especially deep for those who are shut out by athletes who abuse the open enrollment option because they won't be a star athlete at their own school or want to increase their chance at college level sports by being at a school with a better program.

Open enrollment was enacted to give students a chance to improve their academic performance not a chance for student athletes or coaches to improve their team by "recruiting". Shame on the legislature for poking their noses into something that does not concern them, when they aren't able to complete their own jobs.

Which Superhero are you?

I donlt know why, but I love taking these quizzes. I am Wonder Woman, You are a beautiful princesswith great strength of character. Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

What Kind of Soul Are you?

You Are a Warrior Soul

You're a strong person and sometimes seen as intimidating. You don't give up. You're committed and brave. Truly adventuresome, you are not afraid of going to battle. Extremely protective of loved ones, you root for the underdog. You are picky about details and rigorous in your methods. You also value honesty and fairness a great deal. You can be outspoken, intimidating, headstrong, and demanding. You're a hardliner who demands the best from themselves and others. Souls you are most compatible with: Old Soul and Peacemaker Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

It's about time

I had to laugh when I read the headline German Scientists Reading Minds Using Brain-Scan Machines. My first thought was women have been doing this for years, followed closely by, "well it is about time"

BERLIN — At a laboratory in Germany, volunteers slide into a
donut-shaped MRI machine and perform simple tasks, such as deciding
whether to
add or subtract two numbers, or choosing which of two buttons to
press.
They have no inkling that scientists in the next room are trying
to
read their minds — using a brain scan to figure out their intention
before it is
turned into action. In the past, scientists had been able
to detect decisions
about making physical movements before those movements
appeared.

But researchers at Berlin's Bernstein Center for Computational
Neuroscience claim
they have now, for the first time, identified people's
decisions about how they would later do a high-level mental activity — in
this case, adding versus subtracting.

Isn't this what we have been asking our men to do for years? Now they really won't have an excuse

An Old Fashioned Snow Storm

We are in the midst of a snow storm. For the past several years, we have watched with envy as other parts of the country get walloped with a good snow storm. Up until last week, we felt like the proverbial bridesmaid as storm after storm shunned Minnesota for more southern states. Last weekend, we finally got some snow - about a foot. Some local meteorologists called it "The Storm of the Century" which goes to show just how wimpy our Winters have become.

It turned out to be a trail run for this week's storm. The snow started falling last night about 6 pm. Light fluffy flakes, nothing special. We woke up this morning to a respectable 4 inches of new snow. Don't get complacent we were warned, the worst is yet to come. Since that time, we have gained at least another 8 inches today. Snowfall totals by time the storm winds down tomorrow are predicted to be around 20-28 inches. I can hardly wait! The best part of a March snowstorm? We know it will be all gone in a couple of weeks.