Democracy

For 158 years, the Minnesota State Fair has lured a crowd as a purveyor and exhibitor of the new — new crops, critters, devices, food, fun. This year's Great Minnesota Get-Together, which runs through Labor Day, will be no exception. Its new attractions are numerous enough to...

The job of the free press in a democracy is to question power. Question, question, question and question again. The reason for this questioning ethic is that along with power comes corruption and the more the power the more the corruption. That is why the destruction of the free...

With so much turmoil in Washington and around the country these days, it's easy to get caught up in the crises of the moment. These are, indeed, worth our attention — but so are longer-running developments that threaten the health of our representative democracy. I want to lay...

Does the ubiquity of information available through social media really help citizens understand complex issues, weigh competing arguments, and reach discriminating judgments about politics? I've been involved in politics for the better part of a lifetime, and have spoken at a lot...

When the history of this year’s presidential campaign is written, one of its more remarkable features will be that candidates of both parties felt it necessary to talk about income inequality. Surely that makes this a watershed moment. The issue is hardly new. As historian and...

A banquet was held Feb. 12 in the VFW Post 1676 to honor the Detroit Lakes and Holy Rosary middle school students for their participation in the VFW sponsored program, Patriot's Pen essay contest. First, second and third prizes were awarded to the winners in grades sixth-eighth...