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Trump's Tariffs: Not Good For Anyone |
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By John Freivalds
Duluth finds itself smack in the midst of the heated debate over free trade. The Ports of Duluth and Superior are not imploding while miners and mines on the Iron Range want tariffs on imported steel. And we consumers want Walmart's mantra -- goods at low prices so what if they are imported
| Back to the Future: Pacific Island's Cargo Cult Mentality is Alive and Well in Appalachia |
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By John Freivalds
My late wife's' father was an Air Force pilot in World War II some 70 years ago. In flying to various remote South Pacific islands he noticed some strange habits of the primitive natives living in the jungle. They had a subsistence lifestyle with little change and suddenly they saw hundreds of planes landing in their jungle and disgorging goodies they had never seen before. They wanted some as well and hacked crude landing strips out of the jungle hoping planes will see the strips, land and off load goodies. Urban westerners would laugh at this but upon reflection are we no different from the "cargo cults."
Freivalds: The theology of taxation: Martin Luther, Where Are you now that we need you? |
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Published 12/9/2017
By John Freivalds
Freivalds runs an international communications firm in Lexington.
We just marked the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther posting his Ninety Five Theses complaining about the practice and efficacy of indulgences in the Catholic Church. In modern parlance this allowed you freedom from God’s punishment for your sins if you purchased it with money. A theological loophole. And it’s worthwhile to reflect as we are debating the merits of new tax bill and why we need a present day Martin Luther to rescue us.
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Thunder Bay a sane asylum — with Duluth as the portal |
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By John Freivalds
Published November 11th, 2017
The Twin Cities media are full of advertising for Duluth tourism: Lake Superior, ocean-going vessels, Canal Park, and more. However, recent trips made by my friends and me to Canada, through Duluth, revealed a new market positioning: Duluth as a gateway to the sane asylum of Canada.
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By John Freivalds
Published 10/21/2017-Lakeshore Weekly News
Three things are unavoidable in life — death, taxes and traffic. But there is something we can do about traffic if we understand what its all about.
First of all, we are traffic. The same desire we have to drive whenever and wherever we want motivates everyone. So we are not innocent in this.
Traffic is about human nature, not just cars. Every driver needs to read Tom Vanderbilt’s book “Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do and What It Says About Us.” And then go to a public hearing on road closures and quote from this book.