Daily Dinghy

• Is Minnesota Meltdown 2005 Part Deux a possibility? While (hopefully) a longshot, the deal-breaker could come down to the increased tobacco sales tax (er, fee) agreed upon at the end of the first Minnesota Meltdown 2005. Lobbyists entrenched in the Capitol are mounting a faux grassroots campaign to stop it, and while Deano Johnson has assured passage in the Senate, Sviggy Sviggum is resistant to promises. Votes will come down sometime today or tomorrow. Stay tuned, PePpers...
• In politics, there are always winners and losers, but the transportation system in Minnesota seems to be a perrenial loser. Due in equal parts to Teflon Tim's VETO of a bipartisan transportation bill that would have taken an important step toward updating and improving Minnesota transportation and the gridlock caused by the state shutdown, transportation funding will remain stagnant or lose much needed revenue in the budget agreement. This is bad news for anyone who drives a car, rides in a car, rides a bus, hops on the the light-rail, or worries about bridges collapsing.
• Need another reason why Parkinson's is bad? Drugs used in treatment can lead to compulisive gambling. I hope you stay healthy, Ilya.
• Abortions in Minnesota are at a 30-year low...and MCCLers still weep.
• Lindsay! Lohan! stories are like the sun. You want to turn away, but you just can't.
• Homeboy Bob (Zimmerman) Dylan is back in town to mumble through another set and continue translating his works from English into Martian. I know some of our loyal readers are going to this concert, so feel free to comment with a review.