Now things are getting exciting!

The election is two weeks from Tuesday. How's that for a thrill? Events to watch for this week: one last radio debate on KLKS, 104.3 from 2-3pm. The incumbent and I will open and close with canned statements but between, it's all live and unscripted. If you have a question, send or call it in the day before and Karen will hold it for us.

Event number two this week is a visit from Norm Coleman at the Black Bear at 1:30pm. He's visiting 90 cities in the last 20 days and Baxter is on the list. See you there.

Event number three will be at the Northland Arboretum at 7pm Wednesday night, October 22nd. The Brainerd Lakes Area Audubon Society will hold their fourth forum on environmental issues.

Event number four this week will be a forum at Edgewood Vista at 6:30pm Thursday night where we'll talk about a variety of issues.

18 Days To Go

The campaign to return some common sense to the state legislature has a little over two weeks to go. All is well. Signs are out. Debates have begun. Speaking of debates, its been fascinating to hear the opponent freely admit without any prompting that he likes socialized medicine and all tax increases, something most people have known but not heard before. The campaign has already had a number of positive results. More transparency is certainly one. Watch for more.

The next debate will be on KLKS from 2-3pm Tuesday, October 21st. 104.7 on your FM dial. The station will take questions from the audience but the questions will be screened and Karen the station secretary will write them down and bring them into the studio.

Thanks for all your support.

Pawlenty and Seifert in Little Falls Monday

Governor Pawlenty and House Minority Leader Marty Seifert travel to the Little Falls VFW tomorrow afternoon from 2-4pm. Everybody's welcome. If you've got a little extra time in the afternoon, let's show some support for Central Minnesota Republicans and House District 12B Challenger Mike LeMieur. See you there.

Three weeks and counting.

The campaign shifts into its last days and thanks to last week's debates, we know a little more about the incumbent. He likes socialized medicine and has no plan to balance the budget concerning the possibly $2-Billion shortfall beyond putting everything on the table. I wonder if that includes education? And the incumbent continues to favor the $2.5-Billion blanket increase in education he prefers to call the New Minnesota Miracle. Education will get few if any improvements or reforms if the bill is passed, just more money. One of the interesting features of the bill is the Location Equity Index, a feature that sends more money to big cities. There is no equity now. This bill would make it worse. Three weeks and change to go. Don't forget to vote.

Debate Number Two Tonight

My opponent and I will meet again tonight in the Lakeland Public Television debate in their studios in Brainerd. Once again, I believe you will see that the big difference between my opponent and I is how we think. He wants to spend another $2.5-Billion a year on education without changing the way we teach our most important resource, the next generation. The system is roughly 60 years old and we, too many graduates aren't ready for college, many of them aren't ready to fuction in society. I met with the Brainerd School Board Legislative Committee this morning. One department head suggested that the school year may have to be longer and classes may have to be tougher. Perhaps the key word in that last sentence is 'may'.

Minnesota education has to be more rigorous, more grounded in math and science, turn out better graduates. Another department head reported some are saying 70% of college freshmen need remedial courses! About 30% of recent high school graduates at CLC have to take remedial courses to get ready. And the graduation rate statewide continues to slip. A longer school year might be a good beginning. And merit pay for teachers. And longer school days. And entrusting only top college graduates with our most precious resource.

And my opponent wants more money for essentially the same system with not even a suggestion of improvement.

Check out tonight's debate. If you miss it, Lakeland said it will rebroadcast so check your listings for times and dates.

The difference between my opponent and I is that I want a better education system and he wants the same one only more expensive.

First Debate and All Is Well

My opponent and I squared off in polite debate last night in an event sponsored by the Brainerd Area League of Women Voters and the Brainerd High School Debate team. That week and a half of debate class I had in high school sure came in handy. No surprises from the opponent; more taxes, more programs, more progress, more money and just a hint of details. HF 4178 the Minnesota Miracle bill got a little mention. What wasn't said is that the bill will cost roughly $2.5-Billion a year! and includes an increase every year after that on inflation! I think the opponent and his cohorts are trying to do to Minnesota what Barney Frank and his Democrat pals did to the US economy.

The other insight of interest for me was his blanket statement, "I support a single-payer health care system!" That's the big kahuna, the Canadian-style, government-in-charge health care system that would make Medicare look like a lemonade stand. Perhaps its time to put the money back under the mattress.

The lines are becoming more clear all the time. Big government liberal versus common sense conservative, down here in hometown Crow Wing County.

Don't forget to vote on November 4th.

The Gindorff-Stolski Education Plan

Both C-I and Brainerd High School football teams won their homecoming games last weekend and it was a thrill to see the smiling faces and satisfied looks on players and fans alike. Could that happen in academics as well? Maybe.

Hence, the Gindorff-Stolski Plan, applying the lessons of football to the challenge of education. Question: Does either coach select the quarterback (or tight end or defensive guard) on the basis of advance study or the number of years on the squad or do they select them on the basis of talent and results?

Question: Is it possible to apply the same principle to classroom teachers?

Disclaimer: Neither Coach Gindorff nor Stolski has said I could use their name for this little exercise and neither should be blamed or accosted for the musings of a guy who is looking for answers, ways to make Minnesota education better and not just more expensive.