President Obama is asking high-income earners (including himself) to pay a little more taxes to help reduce our nation’s deficit. When taxes collected are at a 60-year low this idea doesn’t seem unreasonable, but it is vigorously opposed by the president’s opponents.   Just how would lett...

Today as I sit at my desk overlooking the lake, there is a blue line of open water coming from the other side. Nothing heralds the coming of the summer months more than the ice off the lake. That dirty grungy ice is being absorbed as we speak and in its place comes the clear, icy blue water, that ha...

In the Dispatch “Open Forum” of April 13. I feel I must respond to Rep. John Ward’s ranting on budgets. Somehow he apparently thinks state spending is free and it would be a travesty to increase property taxes. The readers should be aware that we pay taxes for state spending as well for proper...

Voter ID is one of the issues receiving discussion during the current legislative session and was the subject of a meeting at Central Lakes College, as reported in the April 14 Brainerd Dispatch. A question which I asked the legislators representing Crow Wing County, and was also not mentioned in th...

After hearing about the growth in the Pillager School District, the proposed building project is clearly needed. It is refreshing to see a building plan that serves the needs of students and is attractive, but doesn’t have costly extras. Thanks for planning for the future of Pillager students....

The world’s largest recession continued: In 2001 investment banks lost $5 trillion dollars when their bubble burst and Internet stock fell because they promoted stock in companies they new would fail.  This information comes from the documentary “Inside Job.”...

My pen hasn’t been silent but my letters have been silenced. Too much preaching? What? Me? I discussed this with a co-worker who said it’s all in the perspective of informing or preaching. Like a friend I had who would put ketchup on his hash browns. A friend of his told him he was ruining them ...

  The Bush tax cuts to the rich in 2010 cost us $900 billion and now the Republicans want to give them another cut in taxes....

There’s a quote I recently came across that says “Volunteers aren’t free because they’re cheap, but because they’re priceless.” That definitely describes the volunteers for 4-H in Crow Wing County.   ...

“We cannot always build the future for your youth, but we can build our youth for the future” — F.D. Roosevelt From the Kinship kids and the staff we hope you know how much you are appreciated. Our volunteers truly make a difference in the lives of kids everyday.  Your giving of your time...