President Barack Obama had a dinner date Wednesday night (March 6) with a dozen of his worst enemies, thus proving that the governmental stalemate in Washington, D.C., is driving him to unusual acts of political creativity - or desperation.

Shortly after the Republican gains in 2010, a tea party-backed senator was telling me his legislative goals, starting with a constitutional amendment to require a balanced budget that would limit spending to 18 percent of gross domestic product.

The Dow hits 5,000 for the first time. Tom Hanks wins the Oscar for "Forrest Gump." Pete Sampras wins his third straight Wimbledon title. And Newt Gingrich and Bill Clinton clash over when to balance the budget.

To the let's-cut-entitlements crowd, what's wrong with America is that seniors are living too high off the hog.

It's a safe bet that most conservative Republicans would rush to support a political leader with the following record, especially in a traditionally Democratic state: • Reversed a $2.

General belt-tightening, followed by more belt-tightening with sequestration, is forcing the nation's multibillion-dollar nuclear weapons complex to realize that the free-spending days of the Cold War are over.

On Tuesday of this week the Minnesota House Committee on Governmental Operations will consider several bills that would alter the way in which some county elective offices may be made appointive.

On Feb. 21 the Opinion article in the Dispatch attempted to present these topics as related and leading to a 'logical' conclusion.

There are so many spellings and acronyms for school programs that it's hard to keep track of what they all mean.

Gov. Mark Dayton portrays his budget as transparent, free of gimmicks and protecting middle-class Minnesotans. Look closely, however, and his plan is lacking on all counts.