Although school begins Sept. 7 for Montevideo students, 25 other school districts in southwestern Minnesota have been back in session since last week.

With slightly more than two months to go before the Nov. 2 general election, we expect individuals who ardently support a candidate or party platform will be mailing letters to the American-News and other newspapers seeking to sway other voters to cast a ballot for their candidate or political party.

You won’t want to miss the fun this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Heritage Hill, east of Montevideo on Hwy. 7.

Since I started writing for the Montevideo American-News I’ve had the opportunity to speak with people and learn about things I’d probably never have researched otherwise. That said, this past Friday when I was assigned to cover the welcome home event for our soldiers up at the football field and high school, I got to experience in a big way why I really love this community, and it reminded me just how much support I’ve witnessed over the years.

A minor flap erupted Tuesday in Milan as two candidates planning to run for city council went to the city clerk’s office that morning and found it closed. They had every right to be surprised, since the filing period for city offices in the Nov. 2 general election was supposed to open at 9:30 a.m., and did not open until about 11 a.m.

If you haven’t already ready this week’s Lifestyles story, I would recommend you do so since it will put this column in context.

The old adage of borrowing from Peter to pay Paul is particularly appropriate right now in light of the state Office of Management and Budget’s decision to once again borrow money from Minnesota’s school districts to deal with Minnesota’s cash flow woes.

Once you have passed your 50th birthday, thinking back to your childhood becomes an attractive pastime.

DFL gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton has made no secret of his plans to tax the wealthiest Minnesotans to help balance the state budget. Not surprisingly, this has brought howls of protest from Republicans, who warn that wealthy Minnesotans will leave the state in droves and that the last to leave will turn out the lights behind them as the state economy shuts down.

That Tom Emmer, the Republican endorsee for governor, is conservative goes without saying. It is a classic example of understatement, in fact. Based upon the direction the party has taken more and more to the right the past 15 years or so, Emmer never would have received his party’s endorsement in the first place without demonstrating his ultra-conservative bona fides.

The best thing one can say about this year’s special legislative session is that it was short, lasting a mere 11 hours. Beyond that, the budget agreement reached between Gov. Tim Pawlenty and the DFL-controlled Legislature may best be called a mixed bag — and that’s being charitable.

In a matter of three weeks, the Montevideo Music Boosters have raised $160,000 in pledges from local individuals, organizations and businesses to bolster the music programs in Independent School District No. 129. The pledges actually break down to $32,000 over each of the next five years, with the ultimate goal being $250,000.

Graduation is a ceremony steeped in tradition. From the opening notes of the processional, “Pomp and Circumstance” by Sir Edward Elgar, to the closing notes of the recessional, “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” commencement exercises evoke a sense of both stability and anxious anticipation.

For many families, Memorial Day weekend means going to the lake and getting the cabin and yard ready for summertime fun.

Memorial Day affords an opportunity for serious reflection as we remember the sacrifices of the brave men and women who have served our nation honorably. They should always be remembered with respect and appreciation.

Much ado was made recently over a new national survey, which was widely reported as evidence of a new low in the American public’s trust in the federal government.

When the Minnesota Supreme Court decided in a 4-3 decision that Gov. Tim Pawlenty exceeded his executive powers when he unilaterally unallotted $2.7 billion before he and the Legislature had finished enacting the state’s biennial budget last year, the court protected the most basic tenet of our representative democracy — separation of powers.

A recent poll examined the 18 percent of Americans who identify as “Tea Baggers,” whose numbers dropped from 1,000 to 500 at the state Capitol since last year. Their views seem to mirror the quotes we had from them last week in our local media. They want less government, and they want government “out of their lives.” Yet the identified organizer in Montevideo, and another one of them quoted in Montevideo, along with most of them seen in the photographs in Montevideo and Willmar, are retirees. What are the chances that they are refusing their Social Security checks and Medicare coverage? On the day of their April 15 media splash, they used government provided sewer, water, roads and traffic systems. Most of them likely once used the public education system.

During the next few weeks parents will be beaming with pride as their high schoolers head out the door to go to prom. But for as much as these young men and women look so grown up and mature, they are not and we believe some words of caution are in order — both for them and adults.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) claims to be the largest animal protection organization in this country. Their website proudly proclaims that 11 million Americans or one in every 28, send off a financial contribution to support their mission.