“The way I see it, I'm not going to Washington to be the 60th Democratic senator. I'm going to Washington to be the second senator from the state of Minnesota.” WayStatesDemocraticSenatorsMinnesota Author:Al Franken
“The foundation is being laid for the emergence of both wind and solar cells as cornerstones of the new energy economy. World wind generating capacity grew from 7,600 megawatts in 1997 to 9,600 in 1998, an expansion of 26 percent. At a national level, Germany led the way, adding 790 megawatts of capacity, followed by Spain with 380 megawatts, and the United States with 226 megawatts. In the past, U.S. wind generating capacity was concentrated in California, but in 1998, wind farms began generating electricity in Minnesota, Oregon, and Wyoming, broadening the new industry's geographical base.” WorldWayStatesPastEnergyLevelsUnitedUnited StatesEconomyWindGrewIndustryPercentCapacityFoundationCellsAlternativesCaliforniaGermanyFarmsExpansionElectricitySpainEmergenceCornerstonesMinnesotaOregonWyomingNew EnergyWind FarmsSolar Cells Author:Lester R. Brown
“The I-95 bridges were built in the early 1960s and are now more than 50 years old. The same vintage as the I-35 bridge that collapsed in Minnesota back in 2007, killing 13 people and injuring 145. The antiquated Skagit River Bridge in Washington state that collapsed last May after a truck hit one of the trusses was even older. And it's not just bridges. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, 32 percent of the major roads in America are now in poor condition and in need of major repairs.” PeopleNeedsYearsMayStatesLastsAmericaPoorConditionsMajorsPercentBuiltRiversKillingBridgesEngineersTruck1960sVintageAmerican SocietyMinnesotaCivil EngineerWashington State Author:Ed Rendell
“Minnesota is very important. You're going to have a competitive race for the Senate, a competitive governor's race, you have an open seat in the 6th (Congressional) District, a state legislature that is closely divided, and a state that was very competitive in 2000 and 2004 and is likely to be again in 2008.” ImportantStatesRaceCompetitionSeatsDividedSenateGovernorsLegislatureMinnesotaState Legislatures Author:Ken Mehlman
“It's good to go back and look at what other states are doing. For example, Mayo Clinics and the University of Minnesota had a collaborative grant program that we modeled our program after, so we went back to talk to them about the successes of their program. It's been very successful, the state is going back to fund it again, and it's resulted in a great deal of collaboration and specifically patented technology.” LooksStatesDealsTechnologySuccessfulExampleProgramUniversityFundGrantsCollaborationMinnesotaClinic Author:Brian Thompson
“Minnesota is a state of public-spirited and polite people, where you can get a good cappucino and eat Thai food and find any book you want and yet live on a quiet tree-lined street with a backyard and send your kids to public school. When a state this good hits the jackpot, it can only be an inspiration to everybody.” PeopleWantBookStatesInspirationKidsSchoolTreeStreetsQuietPolitePublic SchoolBackyardsSpiritedMinnesotaThaiJackpotThai Food Author:Garrison Keillor