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Dimitri Drekonja

Minneapolis, MN
Commenter for
4 years 30 weeks

Recent Comments

Posted on 06/17/13 at 03:29 pm in response to Economic contest: 'Wisconsin's not even in the game' with us

How anyone can think that the McLaughlin issue is not a conflict of interest is mystifying. It reads like one of the made-up scenarios introducing what a conflict of interest is-- i.e., made so painfully obvious that anyone can see it, and then you gradually introduce more subtle forms of conflict once people grasp the basic concept. Looks like someone could use a refresher course.

Posted on 06/13/13 at 09:53 am in response to Garbage burning emits significant amounts of toxic pollutants, particulates

I was also disappointed in that figure-- so much so that I confess I skimmed the rest of the piece.

It ignores the 2 fundamental points of the incinerator debate:

-Is it better than landfilling (in terms of cost, CO2 emissions, traffic issues, etc)?
-What it the source of CO2 (sequestered carbon locked in the earth, or surface carbon that will be decomposing and releasing carbon whatever happens)?

Not having a column for the CO2 effects of landfills is just...

Posted on 05/23/13 at 01:51 pm in response to Grading the legislative session: C+ for DFL, but F on reform and bipartisanship

I agree with others-- no evidence of grade inflation here. This "you promised to be bipartisan" wail presumes that there was another party willing to seriously negotiate with the DFL-- quite a presumption.

And, although I'm guilty of plenty of typos myself, it's particularly ironic to see "terrible time-managed skills" and "anti-bulling legislation" in an article about grading. I hope you give your students a pass on their errors...

Posted on 05/20/13 at 09:30 am in response to Peter Waldron, Bachmann whistleblower, describes a campaign and candidate in distress

It's hard to read this thinking there is any objectivity when an episode of weapons charges in Africa gets glossed over with "has led an exceptional life". Exceptional is usually a word we reserve for the best of the best-- not for people charged with weapons trafficking in one of the most violent parts of the world. Also, since ultimately much of this is a he said/she said issue, it might be a useful thing for a reporter to tell us what happened to those charges, and what the facts were....

Posted on 05/20/13 at 11:44 am in response to Peter Waldron, Bachmann whistleblower, describes a campaign and candidate in distress

Thanks. Those are the types of details that might be useful to include as some background, before he gets several pages to push his views. I'm also quite impressed that he's willing to testify under oath that her loss in the Iowa Caucus saved her life. I see a lot pretty ill people as a physician, and in very few is it ever certain exactly what saved them. Must be nice to be so certain regarding things that can't be known.

Posted on 05/10/13 at 03:21 pm in response to Iron Range 'Gatsby' must pay $18 million to settle fraud suit

I have no idea what this guy's current net worth is, but if he truly is a billionaire, an 18 million fine is at most 1.8% of his wealth. Like a guy making 50k getting a 900 dollar fine. Might sting a bit, but hardly bank-breaking.

I've never understood the logic of penalizing financial crimes with amounts that are less than what was gained. In the medical field, we see this with drug companies conducting off-label marketing to boost their sales, and then paying the resulting FDA fine...

Posted on 05/01/13 at 08:58 am in response to Central Corridor tracking report: Progress on goals — plus a momentum shift

You may not see much other than a wallgreens and mcdonalds, but Caps is packed before twins games with people who then take the train to the game. I take the train from work to both Caps and Sea Salt on a regular basis. Both those places predated the line, but both are reaping benefits. For my kids, one of the main attractions of Caps is to watch the trains go by while they wait for their food. The hiawatha corridor has many challenges-- as you've written about before. Industrial area. Big...

Posted on 05/01/13 at 08:46 am in response to Hunter mistakes a county cop for turkey

When 30,000 people die in the US of saber wounds or dropped pots, perhaps then they will make it into the glean as a daily item. Since one of the prime arguments I hear for owing a weapon is the (unproven) safety benefit, pointing out the obvious "exceptions" to that benefit seems like a worthwhile endeavor.

Posted on 04/18/13 at 10:09 am in response to We need to look again at what makes us fat, science writer argues

I agree with Karen, that it's likely a combination of things, and that building our cities around the car is part of the problem.

But, I would point out that even here, life can be lived with less driving. I run to work, and it's an important enough part of our routine that we've limited where we would consider moving to to be within a reasonable radius where that can still happen. Others at my workplace run or bike in, and all are fairly lean people (who also eat a lot). Our...

Posted on 04/11/13 at 09:34 am in response to Miffed legislators try to tackle both Vikings stadium and Mayo Clinic complications

My eldest has made it to age 8 without any pro-sports jersey; thus far the ill-effects have not been manifested. I'm all for taxing the fans who buy the overpriced swaths of purple.

Currently, my Minneapolis-dwelling family that really doesn't care much about the vikings is on the hook to pay for part of the stadium, whereas my inlaws in Woodbury (decked out in purple every Sunday during fall) are only on the hook if they opt to go gambling. Which is odd, since they were big stadium...