Recent content from Jill Burcum
When will it be over?
Church bells won't ring out and we won't be dancing in the streets but, with vigilance, COVID-19 will someday be more manageable.

Lessons from a COVID infection: my own
Unlike the president, we don't get helicopters and exotic experimental drugs. The reality is that it's a waiting game — if you're lucky.

My great-grandfather wasn't hit by the first wave of the 'Spanish flu,' but the second
Memories of that pandemic and its survivors give rise to worries.

Coronavirus pandemic: What's 'normal' now? What's next? An interview with Michael Osterholm.
'I say straight-faced we will never ever go back to normal'

Minnesota's auditor has earned praise and another term
For three decades, Jim Nobles has brought accountability to state government.

Ideology ratings: Minnesota's John Kline and Al Franken
The National Journal calculated its rankings based on roll-call votes on key issues.

Olympic wrestling: Tradition and ideals take a fall
The Olympics without wrestling will sting especially hard in Minnesota.

The United States -- a nation of nations
America's stew is more complex than you think. But somehow its people usually find common ground when it matters most.

Fiscal responsibility, gangnam style
An 81-year-old former senator has a message about the fiscal cliff for the "old coots" in Congress.

Health care: A prairie vision
By administering Medicaid at a local level, an initiative in southwestern Minnesota hopes to save money and improve care. It could well be a pioneering model.

Rescue effort is a point of pride
Minnesota State Trooper Carl Hoffman did Minnesota proud this week with his quick, life-saving thinking.

Key test for Bachmann: Bridge bill needs House passage
Bachmann needs to prove she's a workhorse, not a show horse. Now's her chance.

Romney falls short on Medicare reform
The GOP presidential candidate's Medicare reform plan is a miss.
Sunshine act inaction: Industry letter may clear the way
A letter sent Tuesday by medical-industry heavyweights is striking in this era of antiregulatory fervor.

Editorial: Obama deficit plan - the debate is familiar
What's needed is real tax reform. But don't expect it.

In praise of heat
It's impossible in this Amazon rainforest heat to venture outside and not feel like a soggy, oversteamed vegetable in less than a minute.

Jill Burcum: Will Wisconsin be the GOP's 'overreach' moment?
Also weighing in on Walker's behalf: Americans for Prosperity, a group with strong ties to billionaire oilman David Koch. Koch was the Libertarian Party's 1980 vice presidential candidate; his platform called for abolishing Social Security, the minimum wage and almost all federal agencies while legalizing recreational drugs, suicide and prostitution.
So far, health summit highlights differences
Differences bridged: zero. Lines drawn in the sand: too many to count. That’s how things stand after the chaotic morning go-round at the historic…
Healthcare heavyweights call for reform
At times, it’s felt like President Obama is the only one out there trying to resuscitate health care reform after Republican Scott…
Governor fires back at Bemidji mayor
The dispute between Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Bemidji mayor Richard Lehmann over Local Government Aid continued Friday on Pawlenty's WCCO radio show. The governor cited…
Jill Burcum: The stimulus in only 1,588 pages
The economic stimulus plan has a price tag within shouting distance of $1 trillion. So what does that mindboggling amount of money buy the nation?
A black-and-white blast from the past
Long-forgotten photos from Iowa in the early 1940s finally see the light of day.
Parasites are proof that we are never alone
Next time you count your blessings, consider the humble sewer. Without a sewage system to whisk away fecal matter, you'd be home to even more…