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Steve Grooms

Saint Paul, MN
Commenter for
4 years 21 weeks

Recent Comments

Posted on 11/09/09 at 04:45 pm in response to Star Tribune business reporter leaving for online-only venture

I always used to wonder why papers had a business section. There is very little real reporting in that section. We have recently seen incredibly important stories in American business, including the local stories of Denny Hecker and Tom Petters, but I don't recall any business reporter hinting years ago that these men were less than geniuses.

The business section seems to be a sop thrown to the business community. It panders to the egos of important men (up until their enterprises...

Posted on 10/28/09 at 05:37 am in response to Death of a wolf raises questions about research

Jeff: Ed Bangs is a dedicated biologist who has spent much of his professional life working for wolves. Your ad hominem attack is totally inappropriate.

Sharon: This is an intelligent article that makes an interesting point I haven't seen discussed before. You erred, as I think you know, in using the word "slaughtered", which is one of those inflammatory words that suggests you are not being fair. The rest of the article shows that is not so.

Paul: People do sometimes fear it...

Posted on 03/27/09 at 08:33 am in response to The DFL Dozen: Handicapping the crowded field of 2010 candidates for Minnesota governor

I'd like the chances of Kelliher in a normal political year. She has superb political instincts and an appealing media presence. Above all, she has an ability to talk about tricky issues in a way that conveys trust and respect. She's also got a fine sense of where voters are. Her recent speech on making political leadership transparent and accountable shows she can appeal to voters of all political stripes.

But she is cursed this year with being in the middle of a budget battle that...

Posted on 01/20/09 at 04:03 pm in response to One man's reaction to President Obama's speech

I tend to agree with you often, Eric, but this commentary is spooky because it is so much in line with my responses. At first, I felt the speech was a little flat because it did not soar above his speeches on race or after that loss in New Jersey (the speech that was the basis for "Yes We Can").

Then I realized that Obama had made a choice. He chose not to deliver a speech that would compete with Lincoln's 2nd Inaugural. Instead, he chose to deliver a speech that was perfect for our...

Posted on 12/26/08 at 09:35 am in response to Longfellow, Ole Bull in treasure trove of statues and curiosities gracing Minneapolis parks

Nice story, David.

The impulse to put up a statue is sometimes complex. A common motive is to defy the way time decays memories of figures or causes that some party wishes to preserve "forever" by erecting a statue that holds up in spite of the ravages of time. And then you have statues like the one of Lief Erickson on the MN State Capitol grounds. That commemorates the "true" discoverer of North America (although Indians would protest that point) while sticking it to the Italians....