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Mark Stromseth

mmmmm, MN
Commenter for
2 years 25 weeks

Recent Comments

Posted on 07/28/12 at 09:48 pm in response to Coleman, Kline call Bachmann concerns 'over the line'

“small businesses are worried, they don’t like all this uncertainly, they don’t like the policies they’ve seen from this president and they’re looking for something different.”

Uh, except they're not worried about uncertainty, because there is none, other than when Republicans are going to work with the President to actually help the economy recover. Something they've been loathe to do the whole time.

No policy of President Obama has caused this problem; it's the entire fault...

Posted on 07/27/12 at 10:20 am in response to Minnesota doctors among those urging FDA to limit use of prescription painkillers

This petition, while appearing reasonable on the surface, is not supported by science. If the FDA followed their suggestion, it would only remove an entire class of painkillers from being used after 90 days, regardless of the need.

We already know from science that approximately 10% of the population who use opioid painkillers are at risk of developing an addiction, so that's hardly the rampant problem that's being depicted. What makes one person develop an addiction and the next...

Posted on 07/20/12 at 08:14 am in response to Blue Cross CEO out after only six months

"But the Eagan-based health plan said the lack of disclosure was ‘not in alignment with Blue Cross policies and management expectations.’ Spokesman David Feider said he could not elaborate on the nature of the business activities.”

Could they be any more obtuse about what's really going on? I think it's fair to say that Blue Cross is not being up-front or 'transparent' in this matter, and for a non-profit, that's a huge problem. What's not surprising is that people like Vance Opperman...

Posted on 07/13/12 at 05:10 pm in response to T-Paw back in Romney VP rumor mill

I think it's fair to say that while in office, T-Paw always made sure there was plenty for him and his educationally- and ethically-challenged chums, while the rest of us got nothing. How else can you explain his complete failure as a governor?

Unfortunately, the world of politics is distorted by the influence of money, or the lack thereof, so those who have money get access and favorable treatment if their part is in power, and when they're not, they get ignored. Working for the...

Posted on 07/05/12 at 10:05 am in response to Twins' Ryan Doumit a good fit, well worth contract extension

"I hated that signing at the time, noting that the Twins already had Blackburn under team control through 2013 via arbitration and his minuscule strikeout rate limited his upside and made him far more likely to decline than improve."

While I'm sure it felt good for Gleeman to write that, the problem is that there's no truth to the claim that Blackburns' 'miniscule' strikeout rate limits his upside potential or makes him likely to decline. Gleeman needs to back up his claims with...

Posted on 07/03/12 at 10:20 pm in response to What Kurt Bills wants to do to Obamacare (viewer discretion advised)

Rather than listen to Kurt Bills ramble on about things he doesn't understand, I think the Democrats should pass a Constitutional Amendment to purge all Repubs from the voter rolls. We shouldn't let the uninformed, low-information, non-critical thinkers taint the election results with votes that are driven by archaic ideas, incoherent rants, tired clichés, and homilies about the evils of government regulation.

If they have no critical thinking skills, they should lose the right to...

Posted on 07/02/12 at 02:10 pm in response to What are the limits of newspapers’ local-first news strategy?

By emphasizing local news over everything else, newspapers may have deluded themselves into believing that will save them and hold or increase readership. It won't. Local news is also covered on the Internet by various other bloggers, publications, and Tweets. Putting their faith in local news coverage not only puts them at a disadvantage, it also leaves their readers extremely uninformed when it comes to national and international news.

We all live together on this planet, so...

Posted on 07/02/12 at 04:29 pm in response to What are the limits of newspapers’ local-first news strategy?

As Rachel Kahler said, newspapers could provide a much more valuable public service than they do currently. Now, they get their "news" almost exclusively from the AP which only perpetuates the situation of a low-information, uninformed voters. The AP is lazy and sloppy, and they are notorious for engaging in the "both sides of the story meme". They don't even correct their stories unless you happen to know how to get in touch with their reporters or editors, since they provide no contact...

Posted on 07/02/12 at 09:44 pm in response to What are the limits of newspapers’ local-first news strategy?

The news directors at all the stations and the editors at the newspapers wouldn't know a real news story if it bit them in the ass. You could offer them an exclusive about a cure for cancer (or any other affliction) and they would ignore it because it's either not sensationalistic, or they don't understand the news value.

I know people who have called, written, and even tried emailing people at all the stations and the dailies with a variety of stories. Examples would be the fact that...

Posted on 06/29/12 at 03:41 pm in response to GOP's David Hann: No 'Obamacare' legislation until after the election

Neal, your apparent belief that the Second Amendment says something other than what it actually says no doubt stems from your existence in an alternate universe, where up is down and black is white. You seem to believe the NRA moutpiece when they tell you over and over again that you have a right to keep a gun or as many guns as you like, and even carry a concealed weapon on you, just in case those terrible bad guys have one. You can save the day and shoot them before they shoot you!

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