Off-The-Cuff

At this reading, the Editor could still be pumping water out his basement sump pump from the late September aqua deluge. It was Noah’s Ark in Vernon Center—along with everywhere else. As for this election: Be sure to vote your conscience and become part of a human deluge at the November polls. Buckle your seat belts and away we go…

In August, after visiting relatives, the Editor and family experienced the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, Kansas. In case you were wondering, this U.S. Supreme Court ruling—technically called Oliver Brown et. al. v. Board of Education of Topeka—overturned the racist Plessy v. Ferguson decision of “separate but equal” that created legal segregation. “Brown” ended legal segregation of public schools. It also started a societal tsunami that would become the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which officially outlawed racial segregation….

All this caused the Editor to wonder again why Mankato city leaders haven’t pushed for a National Historic Site to help future generations of Americans interpret the largest one-day mass execution in U.S. history, which occurred in Mankato on December 26, 1862, when U.S. soldiers downtown hanged 38 Dakota. Perhaps I digress, but wouldn’t a National Historic Site to educate children have been a far better use of Obama stimulus money than the $200,000 that helped ex-California gang members remove body tattoos?….

While doing research on Wes Clerc, our November cover story, the Editor learned 115 miles was the most any American had to travel to gobble a McDonald’s Big Mac. Essential information for hamburgerphiles. Currently, the “McFarthest” spot in the U.S. is a rattlesnake hole near the Sheldon National Antelope Refuge in northwest Nevada, which is about a six-day mule ride from dusty Winnemucca. The runner-up spot is a wheat farm north of I-90 near Kennebec, South Dakota. Perhaps Wes Clerc should open store No. 6 along I-90 there…

In August, the Editor received email from Maureen Gustafson, former Mankato Chamber of Commerce president and our gracious January ’99 cover story. She now manages marketing, public relations, and corporate giving for New Ulm law firm Gislason & Hunter. Our best to her….

In the September Business Trends, the Editor mentioned that health insurance rates often vary from county to county for small business owners. This issue, I’m mentioning high medical charges. For example: This last summer, my son Patrick and I each needed a physical in order to attend Boy Scout Camp Wilderness. I had my 15-minute physical at Mankato Clinic in Mapleton by a nurse practitioner and Patrick had his in North Mankato at a competing clinic, also by a nurse practitioner. My 15-minute physical, which included a knee whack, blood pressure and pulse checks, a list of questions, and a cold stethoscope—no lab work—cost $110 after discount. The other clinic charged $220 after discount for the exact same physical on my 13-year-old son. In contrast, it cost us about the same amount to spend six days at Camp Wilderness….

One item not making this issue’s Business Trends: Appearing in thehill.com, the Hudson Institute’s Diana Furchtgott-Roth made her case for ending what she called the gender pay gap “myth.” She said people claiming women earn only 77 cents to a man’s dollar just aren’t telling the whole story….“When differences in hours worked, time in the workforce, education, or choice of vocation are considered, many academic studies show women make around 94 percent of what men make,” she wrote…. Another point from Furchtgott-Roth: In this down economy, women, in general, have been faring better than men. Primarily because of heavy employment in education and healthcare—two areas not hurt substantially by the downturn—American women have an 8 percent unemployment rate. American men, on the other hand, hurt most by manufacturing job losses, have a 9.8 percent rate….

Thanks again for reading southern Minnesota’s only locally owned business magazine, which has been in Nicollet since its 1994 debut. Next issue, we’re really looking forward to showcasing our 2011 Business Person of the Year. We especially thank our expert panel of Minnesota State University business professors for being our judges.