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Todd Hintz

St. Louis Park, MN
Commenter for
4 years 29 weeks

Recent Comments

Posted on 06/17/13 at 12:00 pm in response to Most states have both early and no-excuse absentee balloting, but not Minnesota

I've been an election judge for twenty years, managing judges from all stripes of the political spectrum. In recent years Minnesota Majority has produced a lot of disparaging remarks about our election system without coming up with any data to back it up. There's a lot of "might be" or "it has the potential for" without any real world cases to back it up.

I work in Hennepin County in a city with mixed socio/economic backgrounds and a fair number of immigrants. If there was any...

Posted on 06/17/13 at 12:04 pm in response to Most states have both early and no-excuse absentee balloting, but not Minnesota

I agree with Ray's assessment on electronic voting. As an IT guy and an election judge, I am not in favor electronic voting machines. Keep a paper trail that can be efficiently scanned in and recounted should the need arise.

Posted on 06/12/13 at 04:06 pm in response to Don't blame government or industry for high gas prices

Consumers in Minnesota didn't start driving 20% more last month when gas prices jumped from $3.59 to $4.29--and in some cases higher. The reported reason is that refineries that supply the Chicago area shut down for maintenance and our gas was shipped there. Yet prices in Chicago remained flat or even fell during the same time period.

To further add to the confusion, gas prices in Wisconsin, which is between Minnesota and Chicago, were cheaper than Minnesota even though they have a...

Posted on 06/12/13 at 12:50 pm in response to Wisconsin lawmakers take aim at nonprofit news organization

What a shameful deed that they're trying to silence journalists. We need organizations like this to bring a little sunshine to the legislative process and hold our politicians accountable.

Posted on 06/11/13 at 02:07 pm in response to Do we really need mass transit to limit our dependence on cars?

One of the points missed here is that the article assumes most people can and want to drive. It's briefly mentioned that the post 1982 kids can't afford a car or don't want the additional expense. But there are a lot more categories to add to that mix. Some are too young to drive yet, too elderly to drive, don't have the eyesight, or are from out of town or out of country and don't want the hassle of driving in an unfamiliar city with unfamiliar driving laws. i.e. tourists.

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Posted on 06/11/13 at 02:12 pm in response to Do we really need mass transit to limit our dependence on cars?

One of the things I don't understand about studies like this is the claim that we don't have the urban density necessary to support rail transport. Yet a hundred years ago we had an extensive trolley system stretching from White Bear Lake in the east to Lake Minnetonka in the west, all with an population that's half what it is now. Granted, cars were only starting to get market penetration back then and now they take up a much greater portion of our transportation needs. But the claim...

Posted on 06/11/13 at 02:19 pm in response to Do we really need mass transit to limit our dependence on cars?

"I'm guessing most transit users and bikers in the twin cities actually own cars."

Speaking personally, I do indeed have a car. People who have been reading MinnPost articles in recent weeks know that I've parked the car for commuting purposes and have gone strictly with the bike and bus. I love the convenience of the car, but lately it's been taking me more time to drive home than it does to bike. Couple that with the fact that Minneapolis is jacking the parking rates here at work...

Posted on 06/12/13 at 09:46 am in response to Do we really need mass transit to limit our dependence on cars?

I can't speak for anyone else, but my goal isn't to end the car culture, but rather end its dominance in urban planning. In my opinion we need more equity between cars and other forms of transportation, namely buses, trains, biking, and walking. If all you do is build roads, highways, and yet more roads, then it makes it hard for someone using an alternative form of transportation to get around. Case in point: the posts farther up on this page detailing the Maple Grove retail center where...

Posted on 06/13/13 at 09:52 pm in response to Do we really need mass transit to limit our dependence on cars?

Paying down the debt is something that's best done in good economic times when people and businesses can afford it. Right now would be a bad time to take that tact as the majority of people are still struggling to get a foothold in the recovering economy.

Posted on 06/06/13 at 01:36 pm in response to Is bicycling partisan?

I agree! It just irks me no end when people don't stop at lights or signs, don't yield, don't signal their turns, and drive with headlights and tailights burned out.

Oh wait, you weren't talking about cars?