Yes, the Missus and I escaped for a Labor Day Weekend excursion to the Twin Cities for some R and R and fun time before the twin scourges of the semester (for the Missus in third semester of Nursing School) and football season (for me, the Iowa State game opens Iowa's season this Saturday! My Birthday! Just in time for my shift! I LOVE my job, did I mention that?) take over and eat the next few months.
Anyway, it was a great time! Pics from the MN State Fair will be forthcoming and I feel like cocktails have been forever ruined for me after visiting the Marvel Bar in the North Loop District (most amazing cocktails I've ever tasted. Seriously.) but a couple of things I noticed at the State Fair seemed exciting and interesting enough to mention:
The first is FairVote Minnesota... this blew my mind a little bit because it's an effort to change the voting system in the Medium White North to a ranked choice systems (ranking candidates in order of preference) and- and here's the big news- it's got the backing of the DFL Party up there. (That's Democrats for the non-Minnesotans reading this.) Having checked out the website I can say if they get this done, I want to move back to Minnesota. If they need help doing this, I would drive to Minnesota to get this done. Love, love, LOVE this- why? Well, it's a bit wonky, but basically the website's right. A Ranked Choice system would force candidates to appeal to more than just a narrow base of voters. And candidates that can speak to a majority of people is something we need and badly on the national level. Really hope they can get this done and spark something that will percolate nationwide.
The second is the same sex marriage amendment that's going to be on the ballot up there in November. I'm optimistic about this because the pro-marriage equality people look motivated, well-organized and have their collective shit together for what's probably the first time ever in one of these fights. Just look at the website: Minnesotans United For All Families and their selling point is 'Vote NO: Don't Limit The Freedom To Marry.' Whoever designed this campaign- I want to give them a hug! And possibly buy them a beer... they've placed the issue of marriage equality on the side of families and are couching their opposition to this amendmant as 'limiting freedom.' If the Great Minnesota Get Together (as the State Fair is known) is any indication, there's a lot more VOTE NO people out there than VOTE YES. This is going to be interesting to watch come November. (I seriously might buy a t-shirt to support these guys. I love it when people have their shit together on stuff like this. Just makes my day. We'll have to see how it works in November but I hope the rest of the country is paying attention.)
In short, I miss the Medium White North. The Missus and I might have to see what the future brings but I wouldn't be opposed to moving back.
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