Is Minnesota good or bad to live in?

"This would not be an article by the Bird without a closing curmudgeon type of remark. After putting up with my love fest of things which really work well in this state, what is my biggest heartburn? The politics. I loathe the prairie populist type of politics that Garrison Kellior hoisted upon this state." 

Now that - is a very good question! Is Minnesota a good place to live in, or has it seen it better days. I know, I know - I could write a novelette on how the massive fraud has dimmed this state's reputation. Or how the single party rule of the Democrats has taken this state down the funnel of socialism. Or how the Floyd incident has destroyed the concept of law and order in the Twin Cities. But I have addressed these things before, so I wanted to take another slant on this question this morning. And no - I have not been drinking the blue Kool Aide!

Some know and some don't that this weekend I had an unexpected medical procedure. So why bring that up? As much as I crab about many of the things which could be better in this state, I will NEVER complain about the skills and knowledge of our medical community. In my opinion, Minnesota is second to none when it comes to getting good medical care. If I could pick one thing which would stand out heads and tails above anything else - it would be simply that. If you get sick or need to get fixed - this is the place to be.

Next thing which is good (very good, really), is the state park system in Minnesota. From the history, to accessibility, to the care and feeding there of - our state park system is a model for the rest of the nation to follow. A few years ago, shortly after my wife and I retired, we joined the Passport Club. What is that? A journey to all of the seventy some parks in the state. The journey took us far and wide in this state - many of the parks delighted us and amazed us. Very few (if any), disappointed us. Once we finished visiting all of the parks (and had the stickers to prove it), we received an engraved plaque to hang on a wall. As I pen this, it is mounted by the chair I sit in.

Finally (and this will sound trite to some) - our roadside stops to rest in. It was not until my wife hit the highways and byways of this great nation that we witnessed some very inferior highway rest stops. Heck, we thought all rest stops looked and felt like the ones in Minnesota. We were wrong. We have the best in the nation - hands down.

This would not be an article by the Bird without a closing curmudgeon type of remark. After putting up with my love fest of things which really work well in this state, what is my biggest heartburn? The politics. I loathe the prairie populist type of politics that Garrison Kellior hoisted upon this state. 

How so? In my lifetime, this state has gone from a 50/50 bar (politically) to a rotting candy bar loaded with fruits and nuts. And that one thing, that "aw crap" thing - can wipe out all the good things which I just said about this state. And that is my story, sad but true.