Arlington - The McLeod County Chronicle

Arlington Enterprise, Thursday, May 23, 2013, page 4www.arlingtonmnnews.comOpinionsMemorial Day is a timeto remember those peoplewho have died in serviceOur View: Purpose of Memorial Day hasnot changed in Arlington and Green IsleMemorial Day is a time to remember and honor the bravemen and women who have died in service of our country. It isalso a time to remember and honor the veterans who havepassed away after their service in the military.Some people believe the holiday has strayed from that purpose.Instead of an official day of remembrance and mourning,they feel it has become an unofficial kickoff to a vacationseason.That may be true in some communities around the country,but it is certainly not the case in Arlington and Green Isle.The veterans service organizations in both communitieshave traditionally featured meaningful programs which havebeen well attended by local and area residents on MemorialDay over the years.One bright note to this traditionally subdued observance isthe way the veterans service organizations have gotten theyouth involved in these programs. The Sibley East seniorhigh band and Boy Scouts have participated in the yearlyprogram over the years and it is the hope that these youth willpass the importance of this holiday on to their children in thefuture.Memorial Day is only a few days away and there is nodoubt that local and area residents will again attend the programsat Memorial Park in Arlington and the gymnasium atthe Green Isle Community School on Monday, May 27.It is important for local and area residents to take one hourout of their lives to attend these programs to honor and reflecton the more than 45 million men and women who haveserved in the military in a long distinguished line going backto the American Revolution and to the more than one millionveterans who have died in that service.-K.M.Too Tall’s TidbitsHappy Birthday and Happy Anniversaryto the following local andarea residents compliments of theArlington Lions Club CommunityCalendar.May 24In Memory Of LeRoy Winter, DeborahPerschau, Faith Otto, LoganGlieden, Marisa Kroells, and Mr.and Mrs. Clarence Sickmann.May 25In Memory Of Norb Brau, Jim Farber,Mark Melsha, Reda Ulven, RickKoepp and Shirley Kubal.May 26In Memory Of Debbie Mathwig, InMemory Of Pam Lohse, DavidKrohn, Jeremy Latzke, Kurt Kolander,Noah Tackmann and Will Hislop.May 27Jeff Schuetz, Rese Henke, TirzahLing, Derek Pfeller, Carrie Pioskeand Betsy Conway.May 28In Memory Of Elaine Schauer, EllieKaesermann, Marion Woehler,Wendy Pederson, and Mr. and Mrs.Robert Woehler.May 29Barb Haggenmiller, Barb Krueger,and Mr. and Mrs. Allen Schwirtz.May 30Andy McCarthy, Colton Luepke,Loanne Sorenson and Logan Mc-Cormick.*****A little boy at a wedding looks athis mom and says, “Mommy, whydoes the bride wear white?”His mom replies, “The bride is inwhite because she’s happy and thisis the happiest day of her life.”The boys thinks about this, andthen says, “Well then why is thegroom wearing black?”*****An elderly couple had been experiencingdeclining memories, so theydecided to take a power memoryclass where one is taught to rememberthings by association.A few days after the class, the oldman was outside talking with hisneighbor about how much the classhelped him.“What was the name of the instructor?”asked the neighbor.“Oh, ummmm, let’s see,” the oldman pondered. “You know thatflower, you know, the one thatsmells really nice but has thoseprickly thorns, what’s that flower’sname?”“A rose?” asked the neighbor.“Yes, that's it,” replied the oldman. He then turned toward hishouse and shouted, “Hey, Rose,what’s the name of the instructorwe took the memory class from?”*****Mary was having a tough day andhad stretched herself out on thecouch to do a bit of what she thoughtto be well-deserved complaining andself- pitying.She moaned to her mom andbrother, “Nobody loves me ... thewhole world hates me!”Her brother, busily occupiedplaying a game, hardly looked upat her and passed on this encouragingword: “That’s not true,Mary. Some people don't evenknow you.”*****There were three constructionworkers that always got the samething for lunch. All of them weretired of eating the same thing overand over again.First worker : “I hate sandwiches.If I get sandwiches for lunch againtomorrow I’m jumping off thatbridge.”Second worker : “Oh my Gosh! IfI see another taco I’m going to jumpoff that bridge tomorrow.”Third worker: “Beans again? I willjump off that bridge tomorrow if Iget beans for lunch again.”The next day they all got the samething for lunch so each jumped offthe bridge and died.Their wives were inconsolable.First wife: “If I knew he would dothat, I would have never packed himsandwiches!”Second wife: “If I knew he woulddo that, I would have never packedhim tacos!”Third wife: “If I knew he woulddo that, I never would have lethim pack his own lunch!”Letters To The EditorDemocrats brought forth bad legislationTo The Editor,The last day of the 2013 legislationbrings to an end five months ofDemocrat overreach. Since the beginningof session, Democrats havetaken every opportunity to expandgovernment, take more of yourhard-earned tax dollars, and divideMinnesotans with divisive social issuesat the behest and direction ofthe far-left special interests whoswept them into office by spendingmillions to purchase a friendly legislatureto do their bidding.During their short time in the majority,Democrats have brought fortha lot of bad legislation, but on thelast day of session, by one vote, Democratspassed a bill I considermorally reprehensible. This bill aimsto unionize childcare providers -- independentsmall business owners --forcing providers who don't wish tojoin a union to either pay fair sharedues or not accept low-income childrenwho receive childcare assistanceprogram subsidies.The fact that Democrats are willingto force unionization onproviders who don’t want it at theexpense of low-income children andfamilies is one of the most outrageousthings I’ve seen in my time atthe legislature. This is nothing morethan a power-grab for union organizations.It’s not what’s best for Minnesota,it's a “thank you” to laborunion bosses who spent millions toget them elected. The bill author admittedas much during an interviewon WCCO.The state of Minnesota will nowspend $4 million of taxpayer moneyto hold an election for a union thatproviders don’t want. This electionwill likely mean unnecessaryheadaches for childcare providers. Arecent article in the Sauk CentreHerald outlined the deceptive andintimidating practices employed byunion organizers that will bebrought to the doorsteps of Minnesota's11,000 childcare providersto coerce them into supporting theunion.The unions have a vested interestin making sure this election goes intheir favor; they currently haveabout $8 million dollars in debt afterspending millions to elect Democratsto the legislature. If successful,it’s estimated that the childcareGuest ColumnBy Amy KlobucharU.S. SenatorAcross Minnesota, communitieshave been facing a rash of robberies.But these thieves aren’t your commonthugs stealing TVs or computers– instead they’re going afterhigh-priced metal from businesses,homes and even veterans’ graves,and selling it to scrap dealers tomake a quick buck.In Rochester, I met with a localbusiness that has been robbed bymetal thieves 12 times in just thepast two years and suffered morethan $150,000 in losses. During oneof these robberies, thieves even stolea truck with the company logo on it,and then used that truck to rob otherconstruction sites without raisingsuspicion.In St. Paul, metal thieves stole$20,000 worth of copper pipes fromthe Phalen Ice Rink, causing the rinkto temporarily close until local businessesoffered to pitch in for repairs.And in Isanti County, in an act toocallous to comprehend, criminalsstole more than 200 brass stars fromveterans’ graves over Memorial Dayweekend.This crime can also threaten publicsafety. Metal thieves have causedexplosions in vacant buildings bystealing metal from gas lines andthey’ve caused blackouts by stealingcopper wiring from streetlights andelectrical substations.What’s more, the problem is gettingworse. The worldwide price ofcopper has increased significantly.As a result, thieves are eager to stealcopper and resell it to scrap metaldealers. In recent years metal thefthas jumped nationally by more than80%, with an estimated cost of up to$900 million each year for copperwire theft. It’s is clear we need totake action.This is a national problem thatwill require a national solution withfederal, state, and local officialsworking together. While some stateslike Minnesota have a tougher metaltheft laws, that doesn’t stop thievesfrom stealing metal from one stateand selling it in other states.That is why I introduced legislationwith Republican Senators LindsayGraham from South Carolinaand John Hoeven of North Dakotato crack down on metal thieves nationwideand make it harder forthem to sell their stolen metal.union would bring in $8-$13 milliondollars. How convenient.Minnesota parents, children, andchildcare providers did not ask to bebrought into a legalized moneylaunderingscheme to pay backunion special interests. Dozens ofmy GOP colleagues spent manyhours calling every single childcareprovider in their district. Support forthe union was extremely sparse. Theresults were conclusive -- manytimes fewer than five percent in support.I can’t imagine that my colleaguesacross the aisle heard resultsmuch different from ours, yet theyvoted for this disgrace of a bill anyway.I hope childcare providers remainvigilant and do their research aboutthe potential impacts that this unionizationeffort will have. Higherchildcare costs thanks to expensiveunion dues, and fewer choices forthe parents of low-income parents isnot something that will be good forproviders or good for Minnesotaparents.Glenn GruenhagenState RepresentativeR-GlencoeOnly good thing is legislative session is overTo The Editor,The only good thing about thelegislative session is that it's over.Unfortunately, the damage inflictedon families, taxpayers and employerswill be long lasting and farreaching. The overreach of this Democratcontrolled House, Senate andGovernorship was historical. Wecan only hope their exuberance willlead to the loss of majority in thenext election. Even then, it will bevery difficult to repair the damage toour society and beloved State ofMinnesota.Larry SorensonArlingtonFighting metal theft in Minnesota communitiesOur bill makes it a federal crimeto steal metal from critical infrastructureand ensures we have toughpenalties for those who break thelaw. The bill also contains a “DoNot Buy” provision which bansscrap metal recyclers from buyingcertain items unless the sellers establishwith written documentationthat they are authorized to sell thescrap metal in question.Under our legislation scrap metaldealers will be required to keep detailedrecords of metal purchases fortwo years and make them availableto law enforcement agencies. Finally,the bill would require that purchasesof scrap metal over $100 bedone by check instead of cash tohelp law enforcement track downthieves.In order to stop these thieves fromwreaking havoc on families’ homes,businesses’ bottom lines, and evenveterans’ graves, we need to takeswift action to crack down and forcethese criminals to pay a heavy pricewhen caught. I will continue to workwith law enforcement, local communities,and my colleagues in the Senateto get this done.SHARE YOUR OPINION THROUGHA LETTER TO THE EDITOR.EMAIL YOUR LETTER TOKURTM@ARLINGTONMNNEWS.COMArlington ENTERPRISEEstablished in 1884.Postmaster send address changes to:Arlington Enterprise.402 West Alden Street, P.O. Box 388,Arlington, MN 55307.Phone 507-964-5547 FAX 507-964-2423.Hours: Monday-Wednesday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.;Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and Friday closed.Entered as Periodicals postal matter at Arlington,MN post office. Postage paid at Arlington USPS No.031-980.Subscription Rates: Minnesota – $33.00 per year. Outsideof state – $38.00 per year.StaffBill and Joyce Ramige, Publishers;Kurt Menk, Editor; KarinRamige, Manager; MarvinBulau, Production Manager;Barb Mathwig, Office; AshleyReetz, Sales; and Jean Olson,Proof Reading.LettersThis page is devoted to opinionsand commentary. Articlesappearing on this page are theopinions of the writer. Views expressedhere are not necessarilythose of the Arlington Enterprise,unless so designated. TheArlington Enterprise stronglyencourages others to expressopinions on this page.Letters from our readers arestrongly encouraged. Letters forpublication must bear thewriter’s signature and address.The Arlington Enterprise reservesthe right to edit lettersfor purpose of clarity and space.EthicsThe editorial staff of the ArlingtonEnterprise strives to presentthe news in a fair and accuratemanner. We appreciate errorsbeing brought to our attention.Please bring any grievancesagainst the Arlington Enterprise tothe attention of the editor. Shoulddifferences continue, readers areencouraged to take their grievancesto the Minnesota NewsCouncil, an organization dedicatedto protecting the public frompress inaccuracy and unfairness.The News Council can be contactedat 12 South Sixth St., Suite940, Minneapolis, MN 55402, or(612) 341-9357.Press FreedomFreedom of the press is guaranteedunder the First Amendmentto the U.S. Constitution:“Congress shall make no lawrespecting an establishment ofreligion, or prohibiting the freeexercise thereof; or abridgingthe freedom of speech, or thepress…”Ben Franklin wrote in thePennsylvania Gazette in 1731:“If printers were determined notto print anything till they weresure it would offend nobodythere would be very little printed.”Deadline for the ArlingtonEnterprise news is 4 p.m., Monday,and advertising is noon,Tuesday. 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