Our Two Cents: Tim and Marcus Penny

• Our Two Cents: Amend the state constitution?

  I was amused by Republican Governor Pawlenty’s recent suggestion that we amend the state constitution to prohibit any expenditure greater than the revenue collected in the previous year.
  
  Like so many of his ideas, it sounds on the surface to be a reasonable idea – hold the line [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 4:40am EST
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• Our Two Cents: Social Security increase is unwarranted

  Until 1973, senior citizens on Social Security received no automatic cost of living (COLA) increase. Prior to the creation of a COLA, Congress would decide whether (or not) to increase Social Security payments. Because Congress tended to get overly generous with increases (especially during election years), double-digit percentage increases were [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 3:40am EST
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• Our Two Cents: Nobel Peace Prize

  I think I’m on board with what is probably a universally accepted belief in America this week: President Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize was premature, possibly even undeserved. I’m not on board, however, with those who would tout this as an embarrassment for the president. If anything, it’s an embarrassment for [...]
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  Posted: October 14, 2009, 5:28am EDT
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• Our Two Cents: Broken politics and rightwing opposition

  Five reasons our political system is broken.
  
  Money:  It now takes at least a million dollars to wage a campaign for Congress (several millions to run for the Senate). Those who do run have to spend more time raising money than they spend meeting with voters.  Most people – [...]
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  Posted: October 07, 2009, 8:07am EDT
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• Our Two Cents: Misleadership

  We elect and expect our leaders to lead.  They often mislead.
  
  Case in point: Governor Pawlenty on the budget.
  
  Pawlenty has for eight years promised us a balanced budget with no new taxes. Sound like a false promise?  It was.
  
  He entered office with a $3 billion [...]
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  Posted: September 28, 2009, 5:01am EDT
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• Our Two Cents: Reflections on Sept. 11

  My wife's birthday was September 11. Since her passing nearly four years ago, this date has become a reminder of personal loss for me and our family. To commemorate her birthday, the kids and I always get together for dinner. While the pain of losing her is an unspoken presence, [...]
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  Posted: September 18, 2009, 3:32am EDT
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• Our Two Cents: Where to find agreement in Obama's speeches

  “We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems.”  Frightening words? Radical stuff? Hardly.
  
  This one sentence from President Obama’s speech to America’s school children is representative of the entire speech.  In short, it [...]
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  Posted: September 11, 2009, 11:02am EDT
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• Our Two Cents: A look at Gov. Pawlenty

  I have been waiting – in vain - for the Minnesota media to do a more critical expose on how many days Governor Tim Pawlenty has been out of state on something other than official state business. Even if – as the Governor asserts - most ... [...]
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  Posted: September 03, 2009, 3:19am EDT
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• Our Two Cents: An introduction

  Our Two Cents
  By Tim and Marcus Penny
  
  Area residents may remember last fall when our front yard posted two competing political signs. My son, Marcus, and I held differing views ... [...]
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  Posted: August 26, 2009, 5:11am EDT
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