"Bottom line is this. During election season, the Minnesota State Fair is like manna from Heaven. Rather than traveling, we have people from all over the state coming to this location for 12 straight days!"
Am I excited about tomorrow? Heck yes, I am! Why? It is the start of the Great Minnesota Get Together. I know more than one person who goes every single day. Why? Because we have one of the top five, maybe three, state fairs in the country. Has been that way for years, and will be when my grand kids are old. How did I know that? Because in this part of the country, we know how to do "fairs". And we do it well and with pride.
Tomorrow will be the only day that I am there which I am will not be working a booth. Well, sort of. I will have my Jeff Johnson shirt and hat on. I will be walking the grounds, just hoping to engage someone in good conversation about Jeff. The other days I will be at the fair, I will be working mostly at Jeff's booth, with a shift thrown in for Doug Wardlow.
Because I have been with Jeff now for four years, I basically know most, if not all, of Jeff's positions. It really is a blast to work his booth. His volunteers are always nice, and always try to engage folks the right way. If someone comes up in a combative mode (which is very, very rare), the volunteers just wish that person a nice day, and they they move on. But the vast majority who visit the booth, like Jeff. And want to know more about him. That is when the job is no longer a job - it just becomes a pleasure.
One of my favorite lures, when someone walks by the booth without stopping. I then like to go out and greet them. If they look like they might be close to my age (careful - trademarked secret coming out), I ask them if anyone in their family is old enough to be on Social Security. As soon as they say they are, the conversation starts in earnest.
Folks, this issue is an iron clad winner for Jeff. At least half the folks don't know that Minnesota is one of the few states which still fully taxes Social Security. Since raises are parsimonious at best, having the state tax removed is a game changer for many. Besides all of which, we have already been taxed on Social Security.
Then comes the "closer" to the argument - and I can't wait to use it this year. "Jeff's position is to kill this tax on our seniors, as soon as possible. Jeff's opponent, on the other hand, is on record as saying, 'Well, we can look at it.' Sir or ma'am? Which solution do you like? I am on Social Security, and I sure like Jeff's idea the best!"
Bottom line is this. During election season, the Minnesota State Fair is like manna from Heaven. Rather than traveling outstate, we have people from all over the Minnesota coming to Jeff's booth for 12 straight days!
In any event - no morning report tomorrow. The Bird will be at the fair, getting ready for the annual foot long hot dog (heavy onions) for breakfast. Then it is off the the Ag buildings, the former Machinery Hill, the Grandstand, and other various exhibits. The weather will be great, the people friendly, and the vibe will be good.
I will report in if anything happens in the next two weeks which is newsworthy. Otherwise, it will be my usual rants. And as most of us know, the rants never stop.
Have a great fair experience! JJ should be honored to have such a strong advocate. It is an uphill battle that can be won, but you have to convince the combative, not sing to the chorus. Engage the dark skinned (not tanned) and pitch them the party line. They are the ones that need convincing. And, if you miss a day or two, I'll survive. Maybe I won't get chastised for my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we can tap some of this melting arctic ice to satisfy our insatiable demand for beef, ie corn, ie water.
ReplyDeleteThe sea ice off the coast of northern Greenland is normally some of the thickest in the entire Arctic, with ridges of ice piled as high as 70 feet in some places.
And despite the rapid retreat of sea ice across the region due to climate change, this harsh corner of the globe was expected to be the last to retain year-round sea ice cover.
But recent satellite imagery shows that some of the Arctic's oldest ice has been replaced by miles of open water for the first time on record, surprising scientists and ice monitors.
"This was the area that was seen as the last bastion, where we'd see these changes come last, but they've arrived," said Walt Meier, a senior research scientist with the National Snow and Ice Data Center.