Editorials - The Timberjay

The federal deficit, part II

When it comes to the massive annual U.S. deficit and the growing national debt, it’s worth considering that 23 years ago, under the second term of President Bill Clinton, the U.S. ran a budget … more

10/11/23

The federal deficit

The United States has a deficit problem, and we don’t need extremist threats of a government shutdown to address the problem. We need members of Congress to actually understand what’s … more

10/4/23

Student Resource Officers

Did some of the state’s top law enforcement officials jump the gun in opting to pull student resource officers, or SROs, from schools in the wake of a new state law that limits prone restraints … more

9/27/23

Impeachment investigation

The capitulation of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to Donald Trump and his loudmouth acolytes in Congress to the planned impeachment of President Joe Biden shows the extent to which the Republican … more

9/21/23

Playing the long game

The conservative movement’s battle for power has descended on the nation’s classrooms and Minnesota isn’t immune, despite the DFL’s current dominance in state government. … more

9/13/23 | 3 comments

Questions raised

For the past few years, former Republican Gov. Arne Carlson and many others have been asking questions about the state of Minnesota’s apparent willingness to issue permits for copper-nickel … more

9/6/23

GOP and climate change

Democracy won’t be the only existential issue on the presidential ballot come next year. It is clear from last week’s GOP debate that the future of a livable planet is very much at stake. … more

8/30/23 | 1 comment

Gun myths and legends

Is an extremist myth keeping U.S. policymakers from agreeing on reasonable gun safety measures that could help to reduce the seemingly endless bloodletting in America? That was the proposition laid … more

8/23/23 | 1 comment

Tower Ambulance

For months, Greenwood Township officials have been bludgeoning the Tower Area Ambulance Service for failing to make required transfer mileage payments to the ambulance replacement fund, a complaint … more

8/17/23 | 2 comments

Republicans of integrity

Hidden within the 45 pages of the most recent federal indictment of Donald J. Trump was a surprisingly hopeful revelation. As the indictment lays out in stunning detail, the former president and his … more

8/9/23 | 3 comments

Transfer mileage fee

Several area townships are looking for ways they can better support the Tower Area Ambulance Service, which has been struggling financially for a combination of reasons. The TAAS is certainly not … more

8/2/23 | 1 comment

Tower harbor

For all of two decades, hopes for development at the Tower harbor have met with frustration as the dreams of city officials—to convert the city’s link to Lake Vermilion into an economic … more

7/26/23

Chickens in town

When it comes to ordinances, few communities seek to reinvent the wheel. Most adopt ordinances based on the work done by others, with only minor modifications. That could be how Tower’s … more

7/19/23

A changing planet

The numbers are increasing telling us the story about our rapidly changing climate. As has been widely reported in recent days, we had a three-day stretch from July 3-5 in which we beat the previous … more

7/12/23 | 1 comment

An old school president

As President Biden laid out in a key domestic policy speech this past week in Chicago, his administration is leading what amounts to an economic revolution that is already remaking America’s … more

7/6/23

The new normal

The past several weeks have offered residents of the North Country and much of the rest of the northern U.S. a reminder that no one can escape the effects of a warming climate. Twenty years ago, the … more

6/30/23

What next for Tower’s ambulance service?

It appears the proposal for an ambulance joint powers board to operate the Tower Area Ambulance Service is all but dead, and that’s probably just fine. As we’ve seen in recent months in … more

6/21/23 | 1 comment

The cult of lying

What ever happened to the Republican Party? In the wake of the 37-count indictment of former President Donald Trump for violations of the Espionage Act, false statements to federal law enforcement … more

6/14/23 | 3 comments

Spreading intolerance

This is a disturbing moment in American society as emerging forces seem intent on taking us down a dangerous path toward intolerance. It’s a destination we must avoid. We know that feelings of … more

6/7/23

An accomplished session

Historic. That’s an apt description for the just-completed legislative session here in Minnesota that blew away previous guideposts for productivity. While Minnesotans will no doubt disagree on … more

5/31/23

Republican hypocrisy

Breathtaking gall. That’s the best description of what House Republicans are attempting to pass off as prudent concern about the growing federal debt. We know, for a historical fact, that … more

5/24/23

The sausage grinder

Otto von Bismarck once quipped that: “Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made.” That would certainly apply to two recent congressional hearings, one held here in … more

5/17/23 | 2 comments

Assault at Voyageurs

The release of body cam footage stemming from the tasing of Ash River business owner Justin Ebel has largely confirmed what we have suspected from the beginning about this troubling incident at … more

5/10/23

Take a second look for schools

The Legislature appears to be giving to schools with one hand and taking away with the other, and it could prove a huge challenge to school districts in our region. We’ve spoken to two business … more

Marshall Helmberger | 5/3/23

Fox News and its lies

Fox News lies to its viewers for money. That’s among the many revelations that emerged in the lead-up to what many expected would be a blockbuster trial between Dominion Voting Systems and Fox … more

4/26/23 | 1 comment