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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Gifts we’d like to see in the New Year in the New Year

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Finding the perfect gift is a challenge every Christmas. With that in mind, we have suggestions for presents that we’d like to see Santa deliver this year.

‰To members of Congress, we ask for some wisdom and a more collaborative nature. Partisan squabbling and ideological extremism has paralyzed our government, resulting in the most unproductive Congress in our nation’s history. Inaction on numerous issues has so soured the public on Congress that this once-respected body’s job approval rating sank to an historic six percent just ahead of the midterm elections. That means members of Congress are less popular with the public than Wall Street bankers and zombies. About the only thing that ranks lower in the opinion of the public is the Ebola virus. Congress, in a very real sense, is undermining the American public’s support for our system of government.

‰To the committee hoping to revive the former Orr School as a recreation center and business incubator, we wish a successful outcome. The group has taken on an ambitious project and will need all the help it can get to see its plans for the school come to fruition. The school is in need of some major repair work, including a new heating system, but it’s too important an asset to the community to let the building deteriorate. We applaud the group for stepping forward with a plan for revitalizing the school, which could also help revive Orr’s economy by bringing new jobs to the community.

‰To Wall Street bankers, we’d like Santa to deliver a conscience and a comeuppance. The destruction of America’s economy in 2008 can be traced to the greed that ran rampant on Wall Street and produced schemes to line the pockets of the wealthy while deliberately deluding investors. Their actions were criminal, yet virtually all of them escaped serious punishment. Jail time and bigger fines for the offenders would have helped discourage future malfeasance. Instead Wall Street received a mere slap on the wrist, and legislation aimed at curbing such excesses has already been watered down.

‰ For residents of Ely, we hope for an innovative and sustainable repurposing of the community center. Some of the ideas already floated are exciting and could help create new jobs in the community as well as make it possible to maintain a classic, historic building. Folks in Ely have always shown an ability to think creatively, and this is a great opportunity to let the ideas flow.

‰ To area winter enthusiasts, we’re wishing for more snow. Although the mild temperatures for much of December, coupled with a drop in gas prices, have had an appreciable benefit on energy bills, the lack of snowfall hurts the area. Winter enthusiasts from snowmobilers to cross-country skiers are longing for more of the white stuff as are area businesses that receive a boost from the traffic it creates. Folks are also concerned that the shortage of snow cover could lead to another epidemic of frozen water lines without an adequate snow cover to help insulate pipes when the temperatures plummet.

‰To the community of Tower, we wish for no more delays in the completion of the multi-milllion dollar harbor project. After encountering a series of delays, the project is finally advancing on schedule. The dredging of the East Two River was recently completed, but much more work remains before the harbor expansion is complete. The city is still seeking funding for the project and developers are waiting for the outcome of a market study on potential demand for condominiums along the river. The harbor expansion, along with the development of the Lake Vermilion State Park, could help assure a more robust economy for Tower.

‰To the entire world, we wish for peace and a desire to keep the spirit of Christmas alive 365 days a year. Christmas is a season of good will. In the past, even warring enemies suspended their hostilities for the holiday. These days, it seems violence knows no respite. Every day, the news is dominated by some new horror, from school shootings to terrorist attacks, to outright genocide. Unfortunately, as a society we’ve become de-sensitized and increasingly indifferent to the suffering of others, be it from poverty, mental illnesses, racism, or other social ills that continue to haunt our country. If each person made a pledge to treat others as they themselves would like to be treated, our world would be a much safer and saner place. If only Santa could deliver such a gift.