WEEK OF JANUARY 21, 2002

Dear Citizen Spin:

Is Roger Moe running for something? –Name withheld

Dear Citizen:

The first thing one must keep in mind when watching the Capitol is that EVERYONE is running for something. These boys and girls would be back home playing pinochle if each of them didn't think he or she was cut out for bigger and better things. No one has ever run for the Legislature without thinking he will someday be governor (or could at least do a better job than the incumbent), and no one has ever run for governor without picturing himself as president.

If Sen. Moe isn't running for governor, he's thinking about running for governor. If he's not running for governor, he's thinking about running for reelection. If he's not running for reelection, he's thinking about taking a couple years off and then running for something. We wouldn't have it any other way. –CS

Dear Citizen:

First of all, rural Minnesota isn't dying. It's just really, really sick. But just imagine if you were really sick and had something Dear Citizen Spin: someone had given you that you didn't really need...say a nice pair of roller blades. Now you've already had to sell your car to pay your hospital bills. And your motorcycle. And your snowmobile. And your pontoon boat. And now some big city, slicked back hair insurance guy is trying to yank your roller blades out of your bony fist. What are you going to do? If you ever recover from this sickness (and of course you think you will), how will you get around without your roller blades? And because they're really nice roller blades, you might be able to borrow some money against them to make a car payment when you're feeling better. That's kind of how our friends in Greater Minnesota feel. It's not happening now, but they damn well want to be ready when and if it ever does. –CS

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