I received a holiday greeting card from the MinnPost staff last week that contained a list of writers' "potential" seasonal posts. I learned that my topic was "Santa Claus — Socialist or Communist?"

The Minnesota Sierra Club at a dinner Sunday will honor the "Override Six" – the Republicans who joined DFLers to override Gov. Tim Pawlenty's veto last session of $6.6 billion of tax increases (over 10 years) included in the transportation funding bill. 

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty may have been just a chromosome away from the GOP vice-presidential nomination, but on election night he was acting the alpha dog in the wake of John McCain's then-apparent presidential defeat at the hands of Democrat Barack Obama.

The presidential election of 2008 produced an event I thought I would never see in my lifetime: The word "socialism" used in serious political discussion of public policy.

Campaigning last week, Sen. Barack Obama responded to comments by Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sara Palin calling his tax plan "socialistic." Obama implied the Republican ticket supported "selfishness."

The presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain has made much of Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden's incorrect interpretation of the constitutional role of the vice president.

Posing a number of concerns about the proposed Wall Street bailout, Independence Party candidate for the U.S. Senate Dean Barkley said today that Congress should not vote on a bail-out package before adjourning at the end of the month.

According to a MinnPost.com post by Doug Grow, Rep. Keith Ellison is "steamed" that blame for the financial meltdown is being placed on "poor blacks."

On Sept. 10, 2003, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, testified before House Financial Services Committee, which was holding hearings regarding special privileges extended to government sponsored enterprises (GSEs). Think Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In his testimony. Paul criticized such privileges in general and warned of the potential for disaster posed by government involvement with Fannie and Freddie specifically.

My MinnPost.com colleague Eric Black recently posted a very well-researched piece, "Palin's phony claim." Eric's analysis of GOP claims that Palin said "Thanks, but no thanks" to the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere" takes us down into the weeds of the issue. Good reporting, but there's a much larger issue with far greater ramifications than the truth or fallacy of Palin's claim.