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Robert Moffitt

Robert Moffitt's picture
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Commenter for
5 years 18 weeks

Recent Comments

Posted on 01/22/13 at 11:47 am in response to Transcript of President Obama's second inaugural address

"Seneca Falls and Selma and Stonewall" caught my ear. If you know the history of women's suffrage, the civil rights movement and the gay rights movement in this country, you know the significance of these three places to each of these movements.

Bottom line: Obama just put gay rights on an equal footing with traditional civil rights and the rise of feminism. That's a big change from a guy who only recently recognized gay marriage. Now, to see if the Obama administration stands...

Posted on 01/17/13 at 04:50 pm in response to Minnesota measure would snuff out onstage smoking

The curtain fell on those very quickly, as local officials saw through the scam. A couple of bar owners took the case to court, where they lost. Just another brief and strange moment in Minnesota history.

Posted on 01/17/13 at 11:23 am in response to Efforts should intensify to sustain fresh-water supplies

Only a small fraction of the field corn corn in Minnesota uses irrigation, in case anyone is interested. The ethanol plants in Minnesota, some of the nation's oldest, have been upgrading their facilities to become more efficient and use less water.

People often think of ethanol plants first when it comes to water usage, but there are many things that use a LOT of fresh water. Golf courses. Paper mills. Oil Sands processing. Petroleum refining. Coal-fired power plants. Nuclear power...

Posted on 01/17/13 at 05:02 pm in response to Efforts should intensify to sustain fresh-water supplies

...since Minnesota is the only state that requires ethanol plants to actually report their water usage, there is a fair amount of estimation in Prof. Suh's study. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy report on water use in ethanol plants says most plants use a range from 3.5 to 6 gallons of water consumed per gallon of ethanol produced.

Posted on 01/15/13 at 12:52 pm in response to DFL, GOP squabble over committee handling of agriculture issues

“We want to have a strong rural presence, a strong rural voice,” GOP Rep. Rod Hamilton, said in a passionate speech. “Again, it’s standing up for rural Minnesota.”

If more rural Minnesotans, especially those who work directly in agriculture, would run for the Legislature (and win, of course), that issue takes care of itself.

Posted on 12/21/12 at 02:53 pm in response to 7 best planning moves in Twin Cities history

...nearby Selby Avenue has made an even bigger turnaround. A decade or so ago, the street was best known for drug dealing. Now it has bistros, boutiques, bars, and Bars (the bakery). I work near Selby and Dale, and the transformation has been nothing short of amazing.

Posted on 12/13/12 at 09:53 am in response to It's time to reprocess spent nuclear fuel

However, there seems to be little interest in seriously dealing with the spent nuclear fuel issue, even by the relatively nuke-friendly Obama administration. Another can, kicked further down that road.

Posted on 12/10/12 at 10:17 am in response to Minnesota news media: Who tops the Twitter 1,000

"What is the difference between "news" and blatant political propaganda..."

The only time you need to worry is when people can't tell the difference. Brauer included some Lefty bloggers in his list, too.

Fair and ballanced. He lists, you decide.

Posted on 12/05/12 at 11:56 am in response to 'Indefinite deferral' for coal trains across southern Minnesota

Didn't Minnesota Majority spokesperson Dan McGrath recently suggest that the Voter ID amendment failed in part because of 'fraud' in absentee ballots?

Posted on 11/26/12 at 01:11 pm in response to What happened here? Three observations about Minnesota's marriage vote

The defeat of both amendments was a good thing, I thought, but this victory was especially sweet. Hat tip to my fellow citizens who voted "No!"