Eric Ferguson

About me

Eric Ferguson is a blogger at the MN Progressive Project.

workaround

The stadium that ate the legislative session

By Eric Ferguson, Minnesota Progressive Project

Stop, don't go away! I know you're sick of stadium stuff, but my intent is not to continue the stadium debate, really. This is about the debate, not an engagement in it. You know how sick you are of stadium stuff? So is everybody else, and it's like it became the whole session. That's the point.MORE »

Why should Americans care what happens in Europe?

By Eric Ferguson, Minnesota Progressive Project

There's a good reason to care about what's happening in Europe. I mean a practical reason, beyond humanitarian concern for poor and middle class people having utterly pointless suffering inflicted on them by the austerians who control most European governments and seem unable to learn economics from either a textbook or from the effects of their policies.MORE »

A billion dollar stadium at 100 percent public cost

By Eric Ferguson, Minnesota Progressive Project

Star Tribune sports writer Joe Souhan raised a bit of a ruckus when using the clever turns of phrase and hard-hitting criticism common in sports writing, and desirable in sports writing, when going after a political figure on a political matter, to wit, saying some tough stuff about State Rep. Dean Urdahl, R-Grove City:MORE »

Syria is an argument against attacking Iran

By Eric Ferguson, Minnesota Progressive Project

The war in Syria may have just escalated, now that Syria has fired across the Turkish border. This is an argument against attacking Iran. I know that's a jump. Stay with me.MORE »

Supreme Court ruling on strip searches reveals conservative thinking behind photo ID

By Eric Ferguson, Minnesota Progressive Project

In introducing a segment on the 5-4 decision by the US Supreme Court that strip searches can be conducted with no suspicion of the person being searched being required, Kerry Miller mentioned a phrase used by a critic, that "All risk be eliminated at the expense of those who pose little rMORE »

Why not attack Iran?

By Eric Ferguson, Minnesota Progressive Project

I'm really not trying to be flippant about a war, but the sales campaign for an American and/or Israeli attack on Iran reminds me of anecdotes I heard about Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), called "Star Wars" by opponents.MORE »

Downey wants to pay public workers like private workers

By Eric Ferguson, Minnesota Progressive Project

State Rep.MORE »

Cellphones a prime example of refusing to believe inconvenient science

By Eric Ferguson, Minnesota Progressive Project

On Thursday, MPR's Midmorning had a program on the dangers of using cellphones while driving, and it's a perfect illustration of how science gets denied when its implications are a challenge to our habits or values.MORE »

A dangerous national leader has died

By Eric Ferguson, Minnesota Progressive Project

A dangerous national leader died Sunday. He had a profound effect, causing other governments to shake. How unfortunate his death is being overshadowed because North Korea's dictator died at the same time.MORE »

Unemployment really did go down

By Eric Ferguson, Minnesota Progressive Project

Maybe it's a lesson in "check it out when so many don't know what they're talking about". I needed a refresher apparently. I'm referring to the rather precipitous drop last month in the unemployment rate, from 9.0 to 8.6. I accepted a report that the drop was due to more workers giving up searching.MORE »