Nov. 3 2009 Ranked Choice Voting: Cure For What Ails Us? There, that wasn’t so hard. I just left my neighborhood polling station, having completed my first-ever “ranked choice” ballot. Also called “instant run-off voting” (“IRV”), ranked choice allows voters to prioritize their preferences for each office to be filled. The math can be...Read More
“Better Late Than Never” Dept. “Congress, Come Home: Faxes Can Do the Talking on Capitol Hill”** –Ross Kaplan, Star Tribune Op-Ed page (1993). OK, so I got the part about faxes wrong: today’s technology, including Zoom, FaceTime, and streaming video, positively blows away fax machines. And, I didn’t anticipate the health and safety reason (i.e.,...Read More
Is That Democrats’ Sense of Patriotism Talking? Or Their Self-Interest? [Editor’s Note: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway (“Berkshire”), or any other entity referenced. Edina Realty is a subsidiary of Berkshire.] Since Starbucks’ Howard Schultz announced on 60 Minutes last Sunday that he may run...Read More
Is Trump Sui Generis?** [Editor’s Note: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway, or any other entity referenced.] Since trashing Donald Trump is — as the Wall Street boys might put it — a (very) “crowded trade” at the moment, let me play the contrarian...Read More
Behind the Scenes at the Oscars “There are about 1,100 actors in the Academy, by far its largest branch. Naturally, they don’t all have the same opinion. Some responded more to “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Dallas Buyers Club” or “Nebraska,” all best picture nominees as well. Marking those or the other contenders ” “Her,”...Read More
Minneapolis Mayoral Race 2013 As the saying goes, “close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades and slow dancing.” To those three, now add a fourth: so-called “ranked choice voting” — also known as “instant run-off voting” — which is how Minneapolis will select its next Mayor this Tuesday. I happen to be a HUGE proponent...Read More
