Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes a mix of commentary online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.
•••
Cheers to the Minnesota Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy
The quarterback won his first NFL game on a Monday night in his hometown. But as great as all that were the style and way in which he did it, coming back from an interception-turned-touchdown and a deficit. Impressive, yes, but the chef’s kiss of this debut was his coinage of a catchphrase in the huddle to rally teammates while down by 11 in the third quarter. “Is there any place else you guys would rather be?” he asked. The remainder of his season, and ultimately his career, determine whether the query evolves into a marketing windfall or a punchline. For now, we can enjoy the moment of having a promising young quarterback, who may possess the ineffable X factor that brings a sense of hope for the season or, maybe, just maybe, a new never-say-die era for the hometown team. How would we even handle such success?
Jeers to University of Minnesota administrators
They’ve been unable to reach a deal with striking Teamsters Local 320, the 1,400 custodial, maintenance, food service and sanitation workers who perform the more physically demanding tasks that keep campuses humming and students fed. The average union service worker earns $26.11 per hour, according to the union. Meanwhile no shortage of U administrators earn hundreds of thousands annually, in part, because they should be able to negotiate labor issues and avoid unfortunate disruptions to student life. These workers deserve better from the U, where a former administrator earns $800 an hour, more than $1 million a year, as a consultant.
Cheers to author and broadcaster Gretchen Carlson
Carlson, who is also Minnesota’s most recent Miss America, called out Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo on social media for eliminating all vaccine mandates for schoolchildren. “Unbelievable to watch the FL Surgeon General on CNN right now saying he won’t require vaccines for school age children because the gov’t should not be allowed to tell you what to do with your body. Abortion anyone?” The hypocrisy when contrasted with invasive abortion laws is so stunning that even a former Fox News host can see it. I intend to avoid the Sunshine State vacations for the foreseeable future. Although I’m fully vaccinated myself, why risk exposure? There are plenty of other safer geographic options for soaking up vitamin D this winter, thank you very much.
Jeers to a 39-year-old and his expensive watches
A man claims to have left a $228,000 Rolex, his passport and thousands in cash in a duffel bag on a boat parked on Lake Minnetonka outside Maynards that were then stolen. The bag owner, who works in engineering, said he’s been visiting the lake for 20 years, “and I’ve never had anything like that happen. I leave stuff on the boat all the time.” Who among us hasn’t stopped to grab takeout with our passport, $25,000 cash and a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Platinum Ice Blue Index Dial stuffed in our Louis Vuitton bag? Maybe leave ostentatious duffel at home next time and leave the bling to someone who can pull it off, like Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson and the multiple strands of tooth-sized diamonds bouncing around his neck on game days. Alternatively, perhaps the victim, who didn’t file an insurance claim, might consider purchasing a safe for his valuables on the boat.
Cheers to what appears to be a good problem
Enrollment is exploding at the University of Minnesota Rochester. As campuses throughout the state and nation wrestle with how to manage declining enrollment, Rochester is trying to figure out how to handle rapid growth. The campus has 350 freshmen, an 80% increase from last year. Somewhere in this success story, there may be lessons for other colleges. The campus is niche, offering only two courses of study, both in the health sciences, so students arrive with distinct plans. Extra cheers to student Abby Grant from Lonsdale who arrived with 30 credits and a plan to study radiology and described a similar pattern of classmates enrolled at the mostly commuter campus. “We know what we’re doing, we know what our plan is to get it done.’ Instead of people like, ‘No, I want to do partying.’ That is not why any of us are here,” she said.
Jeers to state Sen. Omar Fateh
The mayoral candidate preemptively condemned an unpublished Minnesota Star Tribune story about a possible conflict of interest regarding his wife’s role in creating a housing stabilization company in a fraud-riddled federal program. The story Fateh criticized has yet to run, but on social media he claimed the newspaper was “manufacturing a scandal where there is none.” His preemptive attack raised more questions than it answered. State Rep. Elliott Engen, R-Lino Lakes, called out Fateh’s protestations, questioning why the senator would feel the need to claim he isn’t making money off corruption. Perhaps Fateh’s hands are clean. Nonetheless, it’s a question the would-be mayor should not expect to escape.
