Thumbs up to VNP staff
Thumbs up to Voyageurs National Park staff who assisted in two incidents in September. Staff responded to Hurricane Ike in Texas and Standing Rock Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

Thumbs down to lack of compromise
Thumbs down to the reluctance to reach compromise by the Northwoods Bible Church and Joe Jessop on a road vacation issue. Suggestions made by county commissioners Tuesday to compromise should be considered by both parties.

Thumbs up to heating assistance
Thumbs up to the $144.5 million in federal funds for the Minnesota Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program this year. The money is almost double the normal appropriation and will go a long way to support people in a poor economy as energy costs rise at the same time.

Thumbs down to tactics
Thumbs down to the “cutesy” tactics of vice president candidate Sarah Palin. Winking at the camera, nose wrinkling and folksy posturing doesn’t cut it and should be left to actors.
The gestures are diversions. And the aw shucks vernacular is demeaning and insulting to both men and women. While distracting theatrics may be entertaining, substantive articulation of critical issues is what is appropriate.

Thumbs up to attorney general
Thumbs up to State Attorney General Lori Swanson for demanding public hearings over the proposed Minnesota Power rate hikes can become permanent. It may very well be true that Minnesota Power has not raised its rates in so long that it is justified to reimburse for improvements costs. However, the hearings will allow for a judicial recommendation with the voice of residential customers. The hearings will help determine whether residents are absorbing a disproportionate amount, and to see if the increase is justified for the returns that Minnesota Power is seeking.

Thumbs up to people who care
Thumbs up to those who collect and donate shoes, the Boy Scouts who collect for the food shelf, those who donate food, those who hired Bronco baseball players so they could earn money for their trip, those who eat at fundraising dinners, volunteers who set hair for nursing home residents and those who hold the door open for you with a smile.

Thumbs down to snubbing
Thumbs down to Sen. John McCain who has regularly stated his bipartisan willingness to reach across the aisle in Congress, but who couldn’t even deliver the most innocuous of bipartisan gestures — that of shaking Barack Obama’s hand after one of the most important political debates in history. If McCain should win, will he continue this snub or suddenly be open-minded with the senator from Illinois?